TUG Magazine June 20062.09 MB
Transcription
TUG Magazine June 20062.09 MB
June 2006 The ‘SSP Piranema’ was offloaded in Rotterdam Europoort and towed to the Keppel Verolme shipyard in Rotterdam Botlek on May 25th, 2006. More Buoyant performance boosts SMIT’s results 2 Expanding the geographical spread of harbour towage 4 Rapid progress in SMIT’s fleet renewal 4 SMIT Terminals wins new long-term contracts 5 New tugs commence long-term contract in Egypt 6 ‘Pentow Service’ flies vessel survey award pennant 6 Global spread of SMIT’s salvage operations 7 Preparing to support Caspian oil and gas developments 9 Sheerlegs ‘Taklift 7’ completes German bridge assignment 3 Big day for ‘Smit Kamara’ 4 5 Rotterdam fleet replacement now under way 11 Installation completed for ‘De Ruyter’ field structures 16 Rotterdam success for ITS 2006 page Rapid progress in SMIT’s fleet renewal page 9 ‘Giant 2’ completes Alcan transport programme 10 SMIT’s lead role in windfarm project 10 SMIT Amandla Marine: full ahead for future growth 12 Caring for the marine environment 12 SMIT Singapore receives honours 13 Asian Lift celebrates 20 years 13 SMIT Transport & Heavy Lift expands fleet 13 URS: new tugs for Zeebrugge expected by year-end 14 Sharing knowledge of casualty response and pollution prevention 14 SmitWijs expands GTA ocean towage pool page 15 8 Katrina/Rita: work continues to speed recovery page page page w w w. s m i t. c o m BUOYANT PERFORMANCE BOOSTS SMIT’S RESULTS In the last issue of Tug Magazine I forecast that SMIT was on course for a significant increase in net profit. The strong first half was followed by an encouraging second half. The outcome for 2005 saw net profit rise from €27.4 million to €38.3 million. This result exceeded the 20 per cent increase sought and is firm evidence of the effectiveness of SMIT’s strategic programme and the skill and dedication of all employees based around the world. We all recognise that we are contributing to a successful business and that exciting times lie ahead! here require continuous R&D commitment as salvage is now knowledge-driven, rather than asset-driven. All SMIT Divisions contributed to 2005’s highly positive outcome. All four core activities are performing to target, as the Group continues to invest heavily in fleet renewal and expansion. Harbour Towage produced excellent results. This Division benefited from structural changes in progress in the shipping industry. It is heartening to see the steady improvement of efficiency in this highly competitive market. In the case of Rotterdam-Europort, for example, high utilisation levels were achieved in 2005. Terminals Division also performed beyond expectation. No profitable contracts were lost, the scope of a number of existing contracts was increased and new, long term work was secured. Salvage Division also enjoyed a good year, despite the fact that it proved impossible to match a truly remarkable 2004, with its long succession of major Lloyd’s Form operations. During the second half of 2005, SMIT Salvage joined other salvors responding in the aftermath of the devastating hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The Division’s busy US workload will have a positive effect on results over several years. Looking further ahead, operational demands are changing in the salvage sector. The number of salvage services falls as the shipping industry’s safety record improves. On the other hand, vessels continue to grow in size and complexity and their operation imposes increasing pressures on their crews. SMIT Salvage is well-positioned to provide services in large and complex salvage operations. It also has a very strong focus in the vital area of environmental care. Service enhancements Improved fleet utilisation underpinned encouraging results from Transport & Heavy Lift Division. Fleet optimisation and a clear commercial focus have transformed SMIT Transport’s performance and prospects. Fleet renewal has commenced with the construction of 10 new large anchorhandling/multipurpose vessels, most of them dedicated to long-term contracts and three new smaller workvessels. This reflects SMIT’s core commercial objective: greater income stability. Transport market factors in Europe and Asia now have a positive character. The position in the heavy lift sector is more challenging, due to a dearth of large projects. This climate is not favourable for investment in new expensive equipment. Therefore, the present emphasis is on consolidation rather than expansion. Against this background, Heavy Lift is seen as a global market and, consequently, the sheerlegs are far more mobile in the operational sense. At present, for example, units are working in Venezuela and Brazil. Future prospects As this account demonstrates, SMIT achieved a great deal last year. There is, however, much more to be done. In the Harbour Towage sector, for example, further expansion will be largely a matter of growth by acquisition or joint ventures on at least a 50:50 basis. SMIT is not interested in buying “steel” alone but, rather, looks for proven expertise and presence in the local and regional market. Our focus is on the world’s shipping crossroads – the major ports where our international clients require a global standard of excellence. In a geographical sense, the emphasis is on the former Eastern Bloc countries, Latin America and the Far East. Our growth target is 50% over 5 years (basis 2005). Operations at Rotterdam-Europort in 2005 were profitable for the second year running, following many years of losses. Nevertheless, even greater efficiencies are required if we are to invest in fleet renewal to the desired extent in order to ensure our long-term future in this market. Here, the testing of two-man operation is an important factor, which is already having an influence on the design of new generation tugs. At the same time, profound changes will not happen overnight. In this area, we want to go forward in a spirit of cooperation with our crews, the Works Councils and unions. In reviewing recent events, this February saw SMIT complete its acquisition of 50 per cent of the shares in Rebras, Brazil. This joint venture has a very promising future. New standard vessels have been ordered. We plan to commence operations with 18 vessels in this country’s major ports in late 2007. We continue to regard Brazil as a market of great significance for SMIT. In March of this year SMIT sold its 40 per cent holding in Servicios Mexicanos Remolcadores (SMR) to the joint venture partner. This decision complies with our strategic policy of holding at least 50 per cent in a joint venture. The main challenge for the growth of the Terminals Division is to secure new long-term contracts. By the very nature of the task, this is a lengthy process. The clients include some of the world’s largest oil companies and its joint ventures. It takes time to develop relationships based on common procedures and standards. Furthermore, successful bidding is not simply a function of the competitive process. Many factors are involved in 21st century deal-making at this level, not least a strong commitment to localisation programmes which deliver genuine benefits to local economies combined with the highest standards on safety, health environmental care and quality assurance (SHE-Q). Terminals Division has a demanding growth target: a 50 per cent increase in net profit over a five-year period, commencing 2003. Everyone involved in this Division’s activities is fully committed to the drive to achieve this goal. New contracts will begin to exert a positive influence on this Division’s results from 2006. The development of global LNG production, transport and storage is of first importance in this sector. There is a growing requirement for terminal and marine support services, as evidenced by the recent award to SMIT of the Damietta contract in Egypt and, in addition, the deployment of two vessels to serve an LNG facility in Equatorial Guinea. SMIT intends to continue to expand the scope of existing contracts and win new contracts. Substantial growth in world LNG production and use is forecast, as LNG increases its market share in relation to other hydrocarbons. Equally, the storage and handling of LNG is demanding in the technical sense and requires terminal and marine support services of the highest quality. The “de-bottlenecking” of LNG supply, through the construction of new and expanded facilities, will continue to generate demand for SMIT’s terminal and marine support services. Salvage Division has good prospects, based on its predominant position in the key disciplines of environmental care and the strength of its knowledge management and R&D capabilities. The aims here include a consistent market share in the 25-30% range and clear recognition as the leader in environmental protection. In the Transport Division, the objectives include the achievement of 10% growth and firm positioning in the top tier of the market with the advent of standardized multipurpose newbuildings. This sector can deliver far more in terms of income stability. Looking ahead, the next challenge is to generate more growth in those business sectors offering income stability. SMIT’s workforce has every reason to be proud of the progress made in recent years. We have increased profitability at a pace which has outstripped expectations. SMIT’s engine is running well, on all cylinders! Most importantly, we have a workforce displaying high morale and an appetite for further success. We all share this enthusiasm for more progress. Ben Vree Chief Executive Officer Colophon For any information about specific activities, equipment and services, please apply to: SMIT Waalhaven O.Z. 85 P.O. Box 59052 3008 PB Rotterdam Tel + 31 10 454 99 11 Fax + 31 10 454 97 77 E-mail company@smit.com Editor SMIT Public Relations Texts TRS Public Relations SMIT Public Relations Design & production Studio Clarenburg, Schiedam Photography SMIT Public Relations Roderik van Nispen Hans de Jong René Legrand Edwin Otter The ABR Company Ltd. and others Printing Schefferdrukkerij bv, Dordrecht Copyright Texts can be reproduced after permission from the editor. tug magazine Big day for ‘Smit Kamara’ the safe transfer of personnel from vessel to platform. The marine solution is regarded as more cost-effective and safe than helicopter transfers. The Naming Ceremony for the ‘Smit Kamara’ took place at SMIT’s quayside in the Waalhaven, Rotterdam, on February 9th. The new vessel, built by Keppel Singmarine of Singapore, is one of a new class of three offshore support, anchorhandling and towing vessels. The ceremony was performed by Mrs Kathy de Weijer, wife of Robert de Weijer, Asset Leader for the Shell UK/NAM joint venture known as Onegas. Robert de Weijer has been closely associated with the long-term contract awarded to ‘Smit Kamara’. The new vessel’s role ‘Smit Kamara’ has a length (O/A) of 70.9 m and has accommodation for 46 persons. The new vessel has a bollard pull of 80 tonnes and is equipped with a powerful twin-drum anchorhandling winch. The main engines are two 2,460 kW Wartsila 6R32 units. The newbuilding has a deck area of 450 m2 and a deck cargo capacity of 650 tonnes. ‘Smit Kamara’ also has a Class 1 firefighting capability. newbuilding team at Keppel Singmarine. He also acknowledged the efforts of SMIT’s own team, including Fokke Jan Botke, Newbuilding Supervisor at the yard, and his deputy, Jan Koper. Fokke Jan Botke is now Account Manager for the ‘Smit Kamara’ and the contract Sister vessel ‘Smit Komodo’ has also been delivered. ‘Smit Komodo’ is now working offshore Egypt. The third vessel, ‘Smit Nicobar’, is due for delivery in June. This vessel has a bollard pull of 120 tonnes. Her first assignment will be offshore Sakhalin. Prior to the Naming Ceremony, a traditional Chinese ‘Lion Dance’ was performed for luck and prosperity. is to act as the marine transfer base for maintenance crews visiting offshore platforms in the southern North Sea. The vessel operates from Den Helder and Lowestoft. Guests attending the Naming Ceremony were welcomed by SMIT’s CEO Ben Vree. SMIT Transport & Heavy Lift Managing Director Abel Dutilh also addressed the gathering. He paid tribute to the efforts of Hoe Eng Hock and the with Shell/NAM in the southern North Sea. The new vessel is commanded by Captain Bill Haenen. ‘Smit Kamara’ is expected to work in the southern North Sea for five years under the Shell/ NAM contract. Previously, maintenance crews were transferred to and from the platforms by helicopter. ‘Smit Kamara’ has an innovative “Offshore Access System”, which permits w w w. s m i t. c o m EXPANDING THE GEOGRAPHICAL SPREAD OF HARBOUR TOWAGE SMIT Harbour Towage has made major progress over the past half-year. During this period SMIT completed the acquisition of 50 per cent of Rebras (Rebocadores do Brasil SA), owners of three 55 tonnes bollard pull ASD tugs chartered out on a bareboat basis. Loek Kullberg, Managing Director of SMIT Harbour Towage & Terminals, says: “The company is now known as SMIT Rebocadores do Brasil SA and has a future based on the operation of at least 20 tugs in the 45-65 tonnes bollard pull range. So far, orders have been placed for 18 newbuildings and the first of the new units will join the fleet in January of next year. We plan to provide harbour towage services in several of the larger Brazilian ports. The ‘Smit Clyde’ assisting one of the world’s biggest containerships, the ‘Cosco Guangzhou’, in Rotterdam. “The key to our strategy is to ‘follow our clients worldwide’. We expect to operate at five Brazilian ports initially. Broadly speaking, the harbour towage market in Brazil is similar to that in Europe and elsewhere in the world. Typically, there is a home operator and a number of competitors. In essence, this is the free market pattern. One strategy, of course, is to acquire an existing player. If no suitable candidate is available, the alternative is to join together and build the necessary infrastructure. In the case of Brazil, all 18 newbuilds will be constructed in Brazilian yards.” SMIT Harbour Towage is also preparing to commence harbour towage services at yet another port in Argentina. Operations will commence with three tugs, one of which is already busy with spot work in the area. A full harbour towage service at an important container port will commence over the next couple of months, in addition to services already provided at La Plata. Looking ahead, SMIT Harbour Towage continues to explore future potential in China. Loek Kullberg says: “In this market, once again, the choice is the acquisition of a regional operator or the establishment of an operation similar to that in Brazil. In the Chinese context both options would be challenging, as circumstances are so different between China and South America. “We are also seeking to establish a foothold in India, where the acquisition route may be a possibility. We see strong potential in India and, accordingly, we have already started to open an Indian entity. We plan to begin in the terminals sector and then expand into harbour towage services. This is an interesting prospect as the country has many large ports and there is strong growth in shipping traffic. “We believe that our future development in India will depend heavily on achieving successful synergies between terminal operations and harbour towage services, based around the deployment of highly flexible types such as Damen 2810s, 3111s and 3112s and similar Robert Allan designs. These tugs are equally suited to long-term service for one client, in the terminal context, and the provision of harbour towage services for many clients. In the case of India we believe that there are interesting opportunities in both sectors.” SMIT’s strategy focuses on extending the geographical scope of harbour towage by means of acquisitions and partnerships. One area of good potential is northern Canada. In Prince The ‘Tiger Sun’ assisting a vessel in Canada. Rupert, for example, a new container port is to be constructed. Loek Kullberg adds: “South Africa is another priority. We already have strong links with port authorities and provide a wide range of marine services, from terminal support to bunkering operations. It would be natural to expand into harbour towage. This will not be easy but there are signs that a more positive attitude towards competition is developing. “In future years the efficiency of two-man operation will be crucial to competitive performance. The system is already a success in Canada and there are plans to do trials with two-man operation in Rotterdam during next year. Two of the new 2810s will be equipped for two-man operation. This whole question is a sensitive labour relations issue but a new spirit of partnership is beginning to emerge.” Rapid progress in SMIT’s fleet renewal In the two years to March 2006 SMIT and its subsidiaries and joint ventures placed firm orders for a total of 80 vessels. SMIT itself was responsible for 42 orders. Eighteen of the remainder were accounted for by the SMIT/Rebras combination, with KST (Keppel SMIT Towage) and URS ordering another 12 and six vessels respectively. new tugs. In all probability, the orders will involve around 20 vessels in the 60 - 80 tonnes bollard pull range - for service at various locations around the world. There are also plans to order more anchorhandlers in the 80 - 100 tonnes bollard pull class. SMIT has already reached agreement to purchase seven newly-built multipurpose work vessels from Hadi H. Al-Hamman Est. of Saudi Arabia. These vessels, of 75 tonnes bollard pull, are a modified version of the ‘Smit Kamara’ and ‘Smit Komodo’. The first two vessels in the series will join the fleet this year and the final unit will be delivered in May 2008. During the six months to this March alone, 15 tugs were ordered from Damen. They consisted of 13 2810 tugs (length 28 m) and two 3211 tugs (with an option for a further two). These units will be delivered over the 2006 - early 2008 period. SMIT’s fleet renewal programme continues to focus on the construction of standardised multirole vessels offering a high degree of operational flexibility. ‘Smit Damietta’ and ‘Smit Port Said’ provide terminal assistances in Egypt. In Singapore, KST ordered a total of six tugs from Keppel Singmarine over the past six months. All are in the 45-65 tonnes bollard pull range. All eleven are ASD tugs. new tugs will be delivered early next year. The last of the 18 will join the Rebras fleet in late 2008. All the tugs will be dedicated to work in Brazilian waters. During the December 2005 - January 2006 period, SMIT also completed its acquisition of 50 per cent of the shares of Rebras in Brazil. Orders for 18 new tugs for this operation were placed with the Detroit Brazil yard. Twelve of the units are 45 tonnes bollard pull tugs, based on the Robert Allan 2500 series design. The remaining six are 65 tonnes bollard pull units - a Robert Allan 3000 design. The first of these The past six months also saw the delivery of the ‘Smit Damietta’ and ‘Smit Port Said’. These 3030 firefighting tugs were purchased during their construction in a Turkish yard. In addition, a gravel barge and chip barge were delivered for SMIT Canada. Looking ahead, it is likely that SMIT and its subsidiaries and joint ventures will order more 31st March 2006 - Contract Signing 2 x DAMEN ASD Tug 3211 + 9 x DAMEN ASD Tug 2810 tug magazine Rotterdam fleet replacement now under way Traffic levels at Rotterdam-Europoort continue to increase. The growth in vessel calls over the past six months was spread over all vessel types, from containerships and bulk carriers to tankers carrying crude oil and products. Joost Lameijer, SMIT Harbour Towage General Manager for Rotterdam, says: “We are now at a very important stage in the development of SMIT’s harbour towage services in the Rotterdam-Europoort area. Positive factors, including the increase in vessel calls and reasonable rates for tug assistance, have allowed us to operate profitably. This, in turn, has created a favourable climate for investment in a new generation of tugs. “We expect to order a total of six newbuildings over the next 12 months. Four of the six - 2810 ASD types - have already been ordered from Damen. We expect to place orders for an additional two later this year or early in 2007. This means the new tugs for Rotterdam service will join the fleet in the mid 2007 - 2009 period. Significantly, all the newbuildings will be designed for two-man operation.” The extent of fleet renewal investments depends on further increases in traffic at Rotterdam-Europoort. Under current projections (and assuming that the current steady increase in vessel calls is sustained), SMIT Harbour Towage will require a fleet of 15 - 17 tugs to meet demand at the Group’s home port. Joost Lameijer adds: “The priority is replacement rather than enlargement of the Rotterdam fleet. The current fleet totals 16 tugs. The units now being replaced are the 1800 types, conventional tugs built during the late 1970s. “SMIT Harbour Towage’s future at Rotterdam does not depend exclusively on traffic increases and new tugs. The human element remains crucial to greater efficiency. We already know the extent to which two-man operation increases productivity and can alleviate the expected shortages in crews in the forthcoming years. This will take time to introduce, however, as this is a matter of training and qualifications. In essence, we need both individuals on board the tug to be capable of assuming a Captain’s responsibilities.” The ‘Smit Clyde’ assisting a vessel in Europoort, Rotterdam. An additional two salvage operations were performed during early March of this year. The first, on March 5, concerned the container vessel ‘California Luna’. The vessel suffered engine problems whilst off the New Waterway and ’Smit Polen’ assisted. SMIT’s Rotterdam-Europoort tugs performed a number of salvage tasks over the past six months. They included the response to the heavy lift vessel ‘Svanen’, which broke free of her moorings during a vicious storm in late November. The vessel began to drift and then struck a drydock. Three tugs were mobilised; they connected up and returned this vessel to the berth. Three days later the bulk carrier ‘Waterman N’ suffered a blackout when close to the Hook of Holland breakwaters. Once again, ‘Smit Polen’ SMIT TERMINALS WINs NEW LONG-TERM CONTRACTS SMIT Terminals has had encouraging results over the past 12 months in its drive to win new long-term contracts and extend the scope of existing activities. The successes include the Damietta LNG carrier assistance contract in Egypt, a new offshore support programme in Russian waters and a winning tender in Equatorial Guinea, together with a number of extensions, including the terminal assistance contract in the Bahamas. ing the oil port of DeKastri, near Sakhalin. Loek Kullberg says: “This contract is for five years, with options for extension. The main task is SPM support with a newbuild Damen 2208 ice class tug, which will be delivered in July/ August 2006. The contract will be serviced in association with Femco, our Russian partners. responded and towed the vessel to a safe anchorage. The first quarter of this year also saw four of SMIT’s Rotterdam-Europoort tugs carry out a rig move. The jack-up ‘Ensco 102’ was towed from Europoort to Botlek Verolme for a maintenance programme. The ‘Smit Diare’ demonstrating her fifi-equipment. Bonny Island recently. This NLNG contract commenced in 1999. Other recent successes in Nigeria include the extension of the Melbourne Marine contract for support of the FSO Jamestown, stationed offshore Warri. The ‘Smit Siberia’ began this assignment in early 2005. “We are already working on the north east coast of Sakhalin with three icebreaking vessels, the ‘Smit Sibu’, ‘Smit Sakhalin’ and ‘Talagy’. Their main role is to assist tankers calling at large offshore loading terminals.” The extensive SMIT newbuilding programme also has consequences for the four-tug operation at Port Gentil’s oil export terminal. This contract commenced in 1992. A Damen 3509 newbuilding is due to replace the chartered tug ‘Ievoli Green’, now operating in Gabon under this TotalFinaElf contract. The newbuilding is a sister vessel to ‘Smit Mandji’, which entered service in early 2005 and is currently operating in Gabon. The new vessel is expected to enter service at Port Gentil during the first quarter of next year. SMIT’s successful tender in Equatorial Guinea requires two newly built tugs. These Damen-built 3211 units are required to support a Marathon LNG operation, which has British The Nigerian crew members who sailed the ‘Smit Diare’ to Bonny Island. Gas as the major shipping client. The contract Loek Kullberg, SMIT Harbour Towage & duration is 10 years and the tugs begin work Terminals’ Managing Director, says: “We are in January 2007. Marathon is a long-standing especially pleased at our successful bid for client, with SMIT providing a variety of marine vessel assistance work at the Damietta LNG support services in West African waters. terminal. This is an important breakthrough in Egypt. We look forward to working closely with Two Damen 3111 newbuildings were on their our Egyptian partners. way to Nigeria at the time of writing, to reinforce the four tugs currently assisting vessels During September of last year SMIT was calling at the NLNG Bonny Island terminal. The awarded a contract from ExxonMobil concern‘Smit Diare’ and ‘Smit Owena’ left Rotterdam for Loek Kullberg adds: “In the Bahamas we have been active since 1997, assisting tankers and providing barge-based bunkering services. This contract requires three Japanese-built tugs delivered during the early 1990s. In January we succeeded in obtaining a contract extension of three years from our client BORCO. The intention is to replace two of the existing vessels with the higher bollard pull tugs ‘Smit Mississippi’ and ‘Smit Missouri’, which will move to the Bahamas prior to March 2007. “Looking ahead, we have some demanding commercial targets to meet. Our teams con- tinue to work vigorously on new tenders for projects across the world, from Africa and the Middle East to South America. “We explore every possibility for viable longterm terminal service contracts. As can be seen from our achievements to date, the rapid expansion of global LNG infrastructures is a big factor in our future prospects. We will continue to display great flexibility in devising solutions meeting the exact needs of clients and prospective clients.” w w w. s m i t. c o m New Tugs commence longterm contract in Egypt Newbuild tugs ‘Smit Port Said’ and ‘Smit Damietta’ have commenced a long-term contract in Egypt, assisting large LNG carriers calling at the Damietta terminal. This LNG terminal came on stream in 2004. It is situated on the north bank of the Suez Canal, around 60km west of Port Said. Its initial production rate is 5.5 million t/yr. The vessel assistance project was awarded to a joint venture with a few local partners amongst which the Damietta Port Authority. The contract was awarded by shippers calling at the SEGAS terminal, which is owned and operated by SEGAS (Spanish Egyptian Gas Company)- 80% owned by Union Fenosa GAS, 10% by EGAS and 10% by EGPC. The ‘Smit Port Said’ assisting the ‘Galica Spirit’ in Damietta, Egypt. EGAS signed agreements with BP and BG to process gas from their operated fields, through EGAS’ share of capacity at the LNG facility and then to lift the produced LNG. The two tugs began working at Damietta in December, under a contract with a duration of two years with possible extensions. SMIT was already very active in Egypt prior to the commencement of the Damietta contract. The newbuild anchorhandler ‘Smit Komodo’, for example, recently commenced a six-month assignment for the support of Egyptian offshore oil and gas installations. The new tugs are both Robert Allan designs. They are broadly similar to Damen’s 3111 tugs. These RA 3060 units were constructed by Uzmar Shipping of Istanbul. They were purchased by SMIT as they were nearing completion. These tugs have a length of 30.25 m a bollard pull of 62 tonnes. They have tanks accommodating 177 cu m of fuel oil, 27 cu m of freshwater and 8 cu m of foam. There is also capacity for some 35 cu m of recovered oil. Terminals Division Managing Director Loek Kullberg says: “Damietta represents a significant breakthrough for SMIT in Egypt. It is not easy to secure a first terminal support contract in any market! This contract was awarded in recognition of the quality of the combination with our partners. We look forward to developing activities in Egypt in association with our partners.” ‘Pentow Service’ flies Vessel Survey Award pennant Captain Mike Skinner, Master of the terminal tug ‘Pentow Service’, proudly accepted the Corporate Vessel Survey Award pennant, for outstanding performance, at a ceremony in Durban on February 23rd. The pennant was presented by SMIT Transport & Heavy Lift Managing Director Abel Dutilh. He offered his warmest congratulations to Captain Skinner, his crew and shore-based personnel closely involved in the operation of this vessel. Their individual contributions were acknowledged: they received special, hand-made jerseys emblazoned with the text “Corporate Vessel Survey Award 2005”. The Corporate Vessel Survey Award is newly introduced and will be presented each year to the vessel with the best overall operational and maintenance condition. SMIT’s SHE-Q General Manager, Aart de Glopper, says: “The award is made on the basis of vessel survey outcomes. The operational and maintenance condition during the year is expressed as a rating. In this way, the top three vessels in the SMIT fleet are identified. In 2005, these vessels were the ‘Pentow Service’, the Cape Town-based oceangoing tug ‘Smit Amandla’ and, in addition, the Vancouver harbour tug ‘Westminster Hunter’. checklist-based audit system. The results are reported quarterly to SMIT’s Executive Board and the Division Managing Directors. This system provides for effective follow-up, where remedial action is required. The idea behind this award is to acknowledge positive achievement within the fleet. Flying that pennant is a genuine mark of excellence.” “All three vessels had a truly outstanding record in 2005. It fell to SMIT’s Chief Executive, Ben Vree, to make the difficult choice. After due consideration, he named ‘Pentow Service’ as the winner in his New Year’s message to the Group. This vessel may now fly the coveted pennant throughout 2006.” Tributes to the crew of ‘Pentow Service’ were expressed by Abel Dutilh, together with Vessel Manager Sean Raath, Corporate Vessel Surveyor Cor Fontaine and Captain George Franklin, representing the clients, SAPREF. Captain Skinner replied on behalf of his crew. Aart de Glopper adds: “The Corporate Vessel Survey Award was introduced in 2005. Our Corporate Vessel Surveyor regularly visits units in the fleet of over 500 vessels operated by SMIT and its associated companies and joint ventures. The Vessel Surveyor applies a Harbour Towage Division Managing Director Loek Kullberg and Vessel Surveyor Cor Fontaine present the Corporate Survey Award pennant. The crew of the award-winning ‘Pentow Service’ in Cape Town. tug magazine Global spread of SMIT’s salvage operations Many salvage operations were undertaken during the first three months of this year. Work also continued on wreck and debris clearance in the US Gulf following the devastation of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. During this period work also continued on the preparation of tenders for a number of substantial wreck removal projects around the world. Salvage operations during the first quarter of 2006 included the February 4th response to the LNG carrier ‘Höegh Gandria’, which required assistance whilst off Singapore, after flooding in the engineroom. A salvage team from SMIT’s Singapore base soon reached this casualty. They dewatered the engineroom and carried out a programme of machinery preservation. The ‘Höegh Gandria’ was discharged and was then taken to a repair yard. Salvage services concluded on February 14th, bringing to an end an operation which was rare in the sense that very few LNG carriers feature in the salvage track record. SMIT Salvage also responded when the fully laden 158,000 DWT crude carrier ‘Kim Jacob’ grounded on January 30th on a sandbank at Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela, whilst proceeding to the US port of St. Croix for discharge. This was a significant operation as very few casualty salvage tasks today now involve large laden tankers. The ‘Twin Star’, however, was severely mauled. She began to sink and eventually broke in two, leaving only her antenna above water. A number of fuel tanks ruptured, causing localised pollution. SMIT Salvage was contracted by the P&I Club to remove the remaining bunkers and other pollutants. All fuel oil, a total of 250 tonnes, was recovered. The remains of this vessel, meanwhile, have almost completely settled into the soft ooze of the wreck site. A decision on a wreck removal has yet to be taken. Work continued into the New Year at La Spezia, Italy, following the sinking of the vessel ‘Margaret’ off the breakwater on December 3rd. A SMIT salvage team carried out a diving survey. Subsequently, a contract was awarded for the removal of some 90 tonnes of oil from the wreck’s double bottom tanks. This task was performed by means of a pollution-free hottap system, used to penetrate each tank at two locations - an upper station for pumping to the surface and a lower station allowing seawater to enter the space, to replace the oil recovered from the tank. The oil recovery operation was completed on January 7th, with the team having pumped all the bunkers to a receiving barge. The severely damaged bulk carrier based on an “upside-down” refloating by pressurisation, a tow to Rotterdam and righting with the assistance of a floating sheerlegs. The ‘Michelle’ could then be towed to a breakers’ yard. This operation is to be undertaken by the floating sheerlegs ‘Taklift 7’, which arrived from the Baltic during April. The sheerlegs will begin work off Den Helder in June. One challenge to be faced by the salvage team is the comprehensive filling of this wreck by sand. This sand has to be pumped from internal spaces, in order to lighten the vessel. An accident in August of last year resulted in a major salvage operation which was still in progress at the end of the third quarter. Salvage operations performed worldwide in the final quarter of 2005 included the refloating of the container vessel ‘SITC Bangkok’, which ran aground on Depond Reef, Cambodia, during November. This vessel had 530 containers on board. The grounding site was hit by bad weather. Several of her ballast tanks and two fuel tanks ruptured, causing some local pollution. The vessel’s owners contracted SMIT Salvage on LOF 2000 terms. The 8,200 bhp tug ‘Pacific Champion’ was mobilised and work began to minimise the environmental impact of this accident. Container carrier ‘SITC Bangkok’ ran aground in Cambodia. The vessel sustained some hull damage but there was no leakage. SMIT Salvage obtained a Lloyd’s Form contract to refloat the casualty. This required the ship-to-ship transfer of some 22,000 tonnes of Venezuelan heavy crude. The salvage team achieved a refloating on February 6th. ‘Kim Jacob’ was taken to a safe anchorage, where a full inspection took place. Subsequently, the balance of the tanker’s cargo was transferred to the lightering vessel ‘Endless’. The latter then delivered the cargo to St. Croix. First quarter operations also included the response to the January 27th collision between the 23,701 DWT bulk carrier ‘Twin Star’, laden with steel coils, and the Cypriot vessel ‘Pintail’. The accident occurred in dense fog conditions at a position off the port of Callao, Peru. A third vessel, the ‘Alice’, was also involved but sustained no damage. The complex project to refloat and recover the sunken vessel ‘Michelle’ arose following a collision off the Dutch coast with the vessel ‘Kiefernwald’. The latter was able to continue her voyage to Cuxhaven. The ‘Michelle’, however, was left in a part-submerged condition, within a busy traffic zone. The offshore workbarge ‘Smit Ibis’ arrived on site and work began to discharge a total of 168 containers. These containers were transferred via the ‘Smit Ibis’ to the vessel ‘Korfoer’. The tug then succeeded in refloating the vessel, following lightering, dewatering and pressurisation of the damaged tanks. Further temporary repairs were then carried out and ‘SITC Bangkok’ was redelivered at Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, in early December. There was some outflow of bunkers from the ‘Michelle’ immediately after the collision. The remaining oil was subsequently removed. The cargo of coal posed no threat to the environment. The Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management ordered that the casualty should be taken to a safe position outside the main traffic lanes. The ‘Michelle’ eventually sank at a position around 100 km north-west of Den Helder. ‘Twin Star’ collided with a Cypriot vessel. from Rotterdam. SMIT’s Brazilian partners contributed two tugs. The casualty’s bunkers were removed as preparations for the refloating progressed. The vessel was pulled free on October 10th. Meanwhile, SMIT salvage teams were engaged in the major response to the devastation caused by hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the US Gulf. Rita came hard on the heels of Katrina and SMIT Salvage provided assistance for two jack-up rigs, the ‘Adriatic VII’ and the ‘High Island III’. The rigs suffered significant damage and these operations continued into the New Year. In both cases the scope of work involved the removal of fuel and drilling mud, ballasting down, removal of the remnants of the legs, deballasting and refloating. November saw the commencement of another such assignment, involving the jack-up rig ‘High Island II’. During November, SMIT Salvage completed two major wreck removals, both in the Far East. On November 1st the final section of the wreck of the ‘Everise Glory’ was landed on a barge. Work had begun in August. This 23,000 DWT bulk carrier was lost close to the Malaysian/Singaporean boundary. The large floating sheerlegs ‘Asian Hercules II’ and the diving/work platform ‘Smit Ibis’ were mobilised for this operation. This wreck was cut into three sections, each with a weight of around 2,000 tonnes. On November 11th the last section of the wreck of the cruise vessel ‘Royal Pacific’ was cleared at the Korean port of Kaohsiung. ‘Royal Pacific’ capsized in July of last year - fortunately with no loss of life. In August SMIT was contracted for the wreck removal, involving the 1,000 tonnes lift capacity sheerlegs ‘Smit Cyclone’. This wreck was cut into nine sections. Operations last October included the successful refloating of the 53,000 DWT bulk carrier ‘Bulgaria’, laden with a cargo of soya beans. This vessel grounded in the Amazon on October 7th. A Salvage Officer/Naval Architect was mobilised from Belem, Brazil and he was reinforced by a Salvage Master SMIT’s team began salvage operations on December 8th. A diving survey was performed and a plan devised for the recovery. This was w w w. s m i t. c o m Katrina/Rita: work continues to speed recovery SMIT’s role in assisting the efforts to recover from the devastating effects of hurricanes Katrina and Rita were reported in the last issue of Tug Magazine. This extensive programme of work continued into the first quarter of 2006. SMIT Salvage Director Hans van Rooij says: “Perhaps 3,000 vessels of all sizes became casualties to some degree in the wake of these disastrous storms. Much of our work has focused on the damaged offshore oil and gas infrastructure in the US Gulf. “Many platforms and rigs were ripped away from their legs by the violent winds and 20ft storm surge. Some were driven ashore. Others were secured and taken to safe locations for inspection and repair, or to scrapyards. We refloated a number of rigs in the final quarter of last year. Many of these operations were challenging, with extensive patching required, together with complex stability calculations and the removal of broken leg sections, in some cases fouling the wrecks. The remains of many legs in the seabed had to be removed in order to free the wells. SMIT mobilised two large floating sheerlegs to tackle these assignments. The 1,000 tonnes ‘Smit Cyclone’ arrived in the US Gulf from Singapore. In addition, ‘Taklift 1’ was mobilised from Venezuela. Some broken leg sections had to be removed from water depths of up to 150 m. A technique was developed which involved breaking into lines and injecting air and water, to put pressure on the spud cans, so helping to break the powerful suction forces. The tasks dealt with by SMIT’s teams in the first quarter of 2006 included engineering preparations for the operation to recover the tension leg platform (TLP) ‘Typhoon’. This installation, A salvage team sets foot on the capsized TLP ‘Typhoon’. with a length of 100 m, capsized when struck by the hurricane. This TLP is now sitting on its accommodation, in some 100 m of water, with its floats still above the surface. SMIT Salvage’s Commercial Director Geert Koffeman says: “This project requires some complex engineering. The preparations on site began with test drilling, to check pressures in a range of tanks. The TLP will be refloated and righted by a combination of techniques - mainly pressurisation.” New Year’s Day saw the completion of one of SMIT’s major rig salvage operations - with the three-leg jack-up ‘High Island ll’ returned to a normal operating environment by an innovative recovery method. This work began in early November. The project was the fourth rig salvage undertaken by SMIT in the aftermath of Katrina and Rita. The jack-up had been hit hard. The legs were misaligned and the main deck had a trim differential of 5 deg. To aggravate matters, ‘High Island ll’ was close to a Chevron production platform. Furthermore, the extensive work programme had to be carried out in Winter conditions. SMIT’s brief was to provide and install a pullbarge on location with a capacity to exert a pull-force of 1,200 tonnes to the rig. This was the first use of the pull-barge method. There were many advantages: lower costs, no further damage to the rig and the opportunity for a timely resumption of the jack-up’s drilling programme. The main operation commenced on December 30th , when pressure on the bow leg was achieved. All legs were then correctly aligned and the rig was then free to commence a normal jack-down. Zero cost OPA 90 cover Donjon-SMIT has now announced a new arrangement providing free cover for salvage, firefighting and lightering under the US Oil Pollution Act 1990 (OPA 90). Donjon-SMIT’s Commercial Manager, Dick Fredricks, says: “We are very pleased to offer this no cost standby coverage to our clients and prospective customers.” Most OPA 90 emergency service providers charge fees for this coverage, especially for tank vessels. Donjon-SMIT now offers free standby coverage for all ship types - both tank vessels and non-tank vessels. The joint venture Donjon-SMIT was established in 2004 by New Jersey-based Donjon Marine Co, Inc and Texas-based SMIT Salvage Americas, with the specific purpose of providing OPA 90 compliance services. SMIT Salvage aligned the legs of jack-up rig ‘High Island II’ by use of the pull-barge method. tug magazine Preparing to support Caspian oil and gas developments SMIT’s preparations are well advanced for the establishment of a joint venture in Kazakhstan to offer a wide range of transport and associated services to the country’s rapidly expanding oil and gas sector. Abel Dutilh, Managing Director of SMIT Transport & Heavy Lift, says: “The prospects in this market are very lively and we need the structure in place to make the most of promising opportunities. The key factor here is the development of the Caspian’s extensive hydrocarbon reserves. The Caspian is said to hold the world’s second largest reserves of oil and gas.” “We are already responding to requests for tenders in Kazakhstan. The immediate prospects centre on the provision of small to medium ice class tugs and ice-strengthened barges.” The division is making a growing contribution to SMIT’s drive for greater income stability. In the transport sector, for example, the introduction into service of the three Keppel Singmarine-built vessels ‘Smit Kamara’, ‘Smit Nicobar’ and ‘Smit Komodo’ will open up new prospects for long-term employment. ‘Smit Kamara’, one of this new class offshore support, anchorhandling and towing vessels, is already working under a long-term charter to the Shell UK/NAM partnership in the North Sea. ‘Smit Kamara’ features an innovative Offshore Access System, a special access bridge allowing maintenance crews to transfer safely to platforms in the southern North Sea. ‘Smit Kamara’ commenced this charter on January 1st. The vessel is based at Den Helder when operating on the Dutch Shelf and out of Lowestoft when working in the UK sector. tonnes bollard pull class, are of the ‘Smit Kamara’/’Smit Komodo’ type and were purchased from Hadi H. Al-Hamman Est of Saudi Arabia. Two of the vessels will join the fleet this year. The remainder will follow in the period to May 2008. Three of the newbuilds have already secured long-term offshore employment, for Saudi Aramco in Saudi waters, through Hadi H. Al-Hamman Est. In the heavy lift sector, the fleet restructuring process has been completed. The smaller floating sheerlegs ‘Ajax’ and ‘Taklift 3’ have been sold. ‘Taklift 1’ was also earmarked for sale but action on this front has been deferred. This sheerlegs found profitable employment in Venezuela and will be redeployed subsequently to the Gulf of Mexico to participate in a range of salvage-related projects associated with clearance work following the 2005 hurricanes. It appears likely that ‘Taklift 1’ will continue in service with SMIT Transport &Heavy Lift for at least another year. Abel Dutilh adds: “The concept here is the provision of a cost-effective and safe alternative to helicopter transportation of maintenance crews. The ‘Smit Kamara’ and her Offshore Access System offers an attractive alternative.” Meanwhile, ‘Smit Komodo’ commenced a two-year plus one contract with Petrobel, Egypt, during February of this year. The vessel is working in the anchorhandling, towage and supply role, supporting a number of offshore production installations. June - immediately upon her delivery from Singapore. The task is to support offshore facilities in the waters off Sakhalin. Consafe’s client is Sakhalin Energy Investment Co. A new phase of fleet expansion was marked by the acquisition of seven new multipurpose work vessels. These newbuildings, in the 75 In addition, ‘Smit Nicobar’ will commence an initial six-month contract with Consafe in Abel Dutilh concludes: “Non-performing assets in the Transport & Heavy Lift fleet have now been sold. We are now on the verge of embarking on a newbuilding programme. The main aim is fleet replacement but there is also scope for gradual expansion, with the focus on long term employment opportunities.” SHEERLEGS ‘TAKLIFT 7’ COMPLETES GERMAN BRIDGE ASSIGNMENT SMIT’s 1,200 tonnes sheerlegs ‘Taklift 7’ completed a major German bridge building programme during April. The crane had spent several months at the new Stralsund Bridge, on the German Baltic coast. This suspension bridge links the mainland with the island of Rügen. ‘Taklift 7’s recent career has focused on bridge projects, including a long series of heavy lifts for the Rion-Antirion Bridge in Greece. In the case of Stralsund, the sheerlegs lifted a total of 13 pylon sections and 16 bridge sections, with maximum weights in the 800 tonnes range. The lifting programme was completed successfully despite heavy ice and prolonged periods of poor weather. ‘Taklift 7’ made a valuable contribution to the construction of this box girder road bridge, which allows the B96 city bypass to cross the Greifswalder Chaussee. Construction of the four-lane Stralsund bypass began in 1997. The new bypass had reached the ferry check-in area at Sassnitz Port by the following year. The construction of the highest section of the Stralsund Bridge involved the lift and positioning of the top unit of a 127 m pylon, with a weight of 84 tonnes. ‘Taklift 7’ employed its 175 m long boom for this task. On completion of the Stralsund project, ‘Taklift 7’ will proceed to Rotterdam to carry out a number of assignments in the area. During its demobilization from Stralsund to Rotterdam, it will launch the hull of MV Magnus at Mützelfeldtwerft in Cuxhaven. Assignments in the Rotterdam area include participation in the Michelle wreck removal operation. Later this year the sheerlegs will lift into position the living quarters for the ‘Terra Nova’ FPSO at Keppel Verolme, Rotterdam. This project involves two contracts. The first calls for the transport of the accommodation module from Newfoundland. ‘Smit Anambas’ and a large barge will be deployed for this assignment. Later in July, ‘Taklift 7’ together with the ‘Matador 3’ will lift the living quarters into place. During August ‘Taklift 7’ will proceed to Rouen, where the sheerlegs will resume its bridge-building duties. The Rouen bridge forms part of a scheme to reduce city traffic congestion. The main lifts involve two bridge sections with maximum dimensions of 80 m and 120 m, together with various other elements. The sheerlegs will be rigged with the long boom for some of the lifts. Elsewhere in the world, SMIT’s sheerlegs remain busy in Brazil. ‘Taklift 4’ is in the Rio area, lifting modules for the ‘P52’ FPSO at Keppel Fels. This 1,600 tonnes sheerlegs arrived in Brazil during late January and will stay in the area until June. At that point the ‘P52’ heavy lift work programme will have been completed. It is likely that ‘Taklift 4’ will then mobilise to the Gulf of Mexico to join the longrunning wreck and debris clearance programmes still under way following the devastating hurricanes of last year. ‘Taklift 6’, with a 1,200 tonnes lift capacity, has been based in Brazil for some years. This sheerlegs has provided heavy lift support for a number of FPSO projects, including Barracuda/Caratinga. ‘Taklift 6’ is also involved in the ‘P52’ project at BrasFels’ Angra Dos Reis integration yard. FPSOrelated work is likely to keep ‘Taklift 6’ in the area for the foreseeable future. ‘Taklift 1’, with a lift capacity of 800 tonnes, has been lifting modules for offshore fabricators Jantesa. This work is under way in the Maracaibo area, Venezuela. The sheerlegs is lifting modules requiring refurbishment. During August the crane will reinstall these modules. During the intervening months, ‘Taklift 1’ will proceed to the US Gulf, to assist in the Katrina/Rita clearance programmes. Positioning of steel pylon sections of the Stralsund bridge by the ‘Taklift 7’. w w w. s m i t. c o m ‘Giant 2’ completes Alcan transport programme SMIT’s three Giant class 24,000 DWT barges continue to find plentiful employment in the global heavy transportation market. Giant 2, for example, has been busy with a programme of voyages in support of a major project extending the Alcan aluminium refinery at Gove, east of Darwin, Australia. Fresh from last year’s drydocking at Batam, ‘Giant 2’s scope of work provides for a total of five voyages carrying project cargo for the ‘Gove’ project. These cargoes have been loaded at a variety of fabricators in Malaysia and Thailand. The final voyage in this series was completed mid-May. ‘Giant 2’ is earmarked for a fresh assignment upon completion of the ‘Gove’ project, when it commences a contract for van Oord to support oil and gas construction projects off Sakhalin, Russia. Sister barge ‘Giant 3’ has been busy at Sakhalin since last year, transporting dredging equipment for van Oord and performing numerous stone transportation voyages. Projects concerning the huge Sakhalin oil and gas development programme will provide continuous employment for both ‘Giant 2’ and ‘Giant 3’ until at least the end of this year. ‘Giant 4’, meanwhile, continues to operate in the north west European region. Recent assignments for this barge include the transportation of river barges from Rotterdam to Fos, France. The vessel then loaded more river barges at Fos, for transport to Le Havre. ‘Giant 4’ is due to commence a charter for Heerema next month (June). This concerns the ‘De Ruyter’ oil and gas project on the Dutch Shelf. The scope of work here focuses on the transport of heavy elements for the ‘De Ruyter’ Gravity Base Structure. Meanwhile ‘Smit Anambas’ activities in the first quarter of this year included the move of a 4,000 tonnes, four-leg jack-up from Piraeus to Rotterdam. The vessel then proceeded to Norway for the transport of substructures on behalf of TP Shipping. The voyages involve a variety of load and discharge locations in Norway. On completion of this work programme in early May, ‘Smit Anambas’ proceeded to St. John’s, Newfoundland, to load a 700 tonnes accommodation module, for KBR/ Petro-Canada. In addition, the DSV ‘Smit Orca’ continues to operate offshore West Africa. The vessel is engaged in a wide range of subsea maintenance and repair activities for offshore oil and gas installations. The ‘Smit Orca’ is frequently hired by various offshore companies, such as Perenco, Total Technique, Agip, SHELL, Acergy (previously Stolt Offshore) and as diving platform and accommodation vessel. The ‘Giant 2’ transporting cargo for the ‘Gove’ project. SMIT’s lead role in windfarm project SMIT Transport is now engaged in a major project concerning the construction of a large windfarm complex at IJmuiden, in the Netherlands. This is the country’s largest windfarm project to date. These barges were selected as they can be manoeuvred, in the laden condition, inside the docking station of the Ballast Nedam heavy lift vessel ‘Svanen’ - which is responsible for lifting and positioning the heavy units taking the turbines, following pile-driving. SMIT Transport’s project team is also responsible for the design, fabrication and installation of innovative hinged sea-fastenings, which can be re-used for each transport, throughout the contract period, without cutting and welding. The development requires the fabrication, transport and installation of a series of 36 large wind turbines, each rated at 3.6 mW. This power generation scheme is being developed by Shell Nuon. Ballast Nedam, SMIT Transport’s client, has the main contract - a turnkey agreement - for the fabrication, installation and commissioning of the complex. SMIT’s contract includes the transport of 36 transition pieces and monopiles from the fabrication yard in Aalborg, Denmark, to the location off IJmuiden. This requires the mobilisation of a 40 tonnes bollard pull tug and three flat-top barges (‘E3801’, ‘E3004’ and ‘E3001’). The transports began in early March and will continue until July. Each voyage from Aalborg to IJmuiden takes three days. The programme is organised to ensure that one barge is loading, one is discharging and one is en route at all times. SMIT’s scope of work also includes ballasting during load-out operations. The second section of the SMIT contract provides for the services of three shallow draft anchorhandlers. These units are required for anchorhandling support for the heavy lift vessel ‘Svanen’. The latter operates within a pre-laid eight-point mooring system. The individual anchors have weights of up to 12.5 tonnes. The units deployed for this work programme are the anchorhandlers ‘Smit Bever’ and ‘Smit Bronco’ (a 25.4 m newbuild with a 28 tonnes bollard pull). ‘Smit Bronco’ represents the first of a new class of three tugs. The second and third vessels are ‘Smit Barracuda’ and ‘Smit Bison’. In addition, the 1,800 hp tractor tug ‘Eerland 26’ is working off IJmuiden, manoeuvring the barges at the windfarm construction site. Heavy lift vessel ‘Svanen’ and anchorhandling tug ‘Smit Bever’ off IJmuiden. tug magazine INSTALLATION COMPLETED FOR DE RUYTER FIELD STRUCTURES SMIT Marine Projects has just completed major assignments associated with the ‘De Ruyter’ field development - a new oil and gas field, on the Dutch Shelf some 30 NM off The Hague. The field developer is PetroCanada. SMIT Marine Projects won two contracts involving the ‘De Ruyter’ field development, relating to the offshore production facility and the mooring system for shuttle tankers loading in the field. One contract was with Heerema, fabricators for the production facility GBS (Gravity Base Structure). This contract was awarded in March 2006 but preparations began in September 2005. The GBS installation started in April and was completed in early May. The GBS was constructed in Dubai. Heerema’s yards in the Netherlands will complete the offshore structure: the lattice is provided by Heerema Flushing and the company’s Zwijndrecht yard is responsible for the topside (Integrated Production Deck), which is to be installed in June. In addition, SMIT Marine Projects received a contract from GB Diving concerning the ‘De Ruyter’ TMLS (Tanker Mooring Loading System). The TMLS was designed by APL of Norway, constructed by Bladt in Denmark and installed during May by SMIT. The ‘De Ruyter’ Field has two main pipelines. The oil pipeline runs from the GBS to the TMLS (shuttle tanker loading system). In addition, a gas export line connects the GBS to the Wintershall platform east of the ‘De Ruyter’ field, and then on to the shore. Sander Korte, SMIT’s General Manager for Marine Projects, says: “We carried out the GBS work programme in a joint venture with Boskalis. Our scope of work included preinstallation preparations ashore, followed by the towout to location and installation. The latter phase included fine positioning and ballasting onto the seabed and the pumping of a grout layer beneath the GBS. Boskalis dredged the GBS’ reception pit and then started the rock protection works on Sunday May 7th. “Preparations ashore included rigging for the tow and the installation of survey equipment, suction pumps and umbilicals. The towout to location was performed in early April, during a period of welcome good weather. Two tugs were mobilised for this operation. Once on location two more tugs arrived. All four tugs were then connected for the next phase and manoeuvred the GBS into a pre-laid mooring system. With fine positioning achieved, the 80 m by 70 m GBS was then ballasted down into the dredged reception pit. Grouting began when the GBS’ skirts had fully penetrated the seabed. The grout filled the void space beneath the structure. The GBS installation was completed by the first week of May.” The ‘Taklift 7’ with TMLS in Waalhaven, Rotterdam just before transport to the ‘De Ruyter’ field in the North Sea. loading hose, the mooring arrangement and the installation rigging of the TMLS. The TMLS structure has an arrangement for loading shuttle tankers by means of a flexible hose submerged at the surface. A shuttle tanker arriving in the field picks up the loading hose (with a pick up arrangement connected to the loading hose). This proven method is used with success by the (Veba) Hanse F2 platform, also on the Dutch Shelf, recently taken over by Petro-Canada. The ‘De Ruyter’ TMLS has four large suction cans, a deck incorporating a central swivel and former oil export terminal in Angola. This project, for Total E&P Angola, was undertaken with SMIT’s Angolan subsidiary, OCTOMAR. The Diving Support Vessel ‘Smit Orca’ was mobilised for the removal of two offshore steel towers. The SMIT team on site, including a large group of divers from SMIT Terminals West Africa, also flushed the Cabeça Da Cobra and Soyo terminals’ lines. Sander Korte says: “The two towers were cut into sections and delivered to a scrapping facility in the Soyo area. The specification for the Angolan project placed much emphasis on protection of the environment. The integrity of the lines was The ‘Smit Orca’ with a tower section in West Africa. SMIT’s De Ruyter project team then focused on the TMLS. This unit was transported from the Bladt Fabrication Yard, Aalborg, by the ‘E1704’ towed by the URS tug ‘Boxer’. This voyage took three days. The TMLS/barge combination was berthed in the Waalhaven, Rotterdam, where the structure was prepared and rigged for installation. This included the assembly of the a hose connection unit. Installation involves penetration of the seabed to the full, 8 m height of the suction cans. This operation was scheduled for completion by mid-May. First oil and gas from ‘De Ruyter’ is expected in late 2006. During April, SMIT Marine Projects completed the decommissioning of the remains of a 11 known to be poor and flushing, of course, does require pressurisation. With these factors in mind, the flushing was carried out successfully, with minimal release of oil”. w w w. s m i t. c o m SMIT Amandla Marine: full ahead for future growth Recognising the South African Government’s desire to transform the country, SMIT has proactively addressed issues of transformation in their South African operations since investing there in 1999. In November 2005 a multi-million rand Black Economic Empowerment transaction was finalised, following successful negotiations between African Maritime Investment Holdings (Pty) Ltd, a 100% subsidiary of MION Holdings (Pty) Ltd, and SMIT Internationale NV. A key driver in the transaction’s successful conclusion was the commitment displayed by both the new black shareholders, African Maritime Investments Holdings, and SMIT in their quest to create a company that comprehensively addresses the critical issue of Black Economic Empowerment. This is not only a matter of ownership but, just as importantly, the progress of black management, employment equity, skills development, preferential procurement, new enterprise initiatives and corporate social investment. SMIT Chief Executive Officer Ben Vree says: “This new company reaffirms our commitment to South Africa and its empowerment objectives, as well as to the core principles of broad-based Black Economic Empowerment. It also meets SMIT’s broader strategic objectives, to develop partnerships in all major maritime centres where we operate”. Under the transaction, the majority of SMIT’s South African business activities and contracts was acquired by SMIT Amandla Marine, with SMIT retaining 70% of the ownership of this company. African Maritime Investment Holdings has acquired 18% of SMIT Amandla Marine. In addition, the SMIT Amandla Marine Employee Trust - the beneficiaries of whom are the employees of SMIT Amandla Marine (74% of whom are black) - holds 12 % ownership. This means that over 550 South Africans will have a direct interest in the company. “I need to ensure that our strategy is followed and that performance is monitored. In addition, our Black Economic Empowerment agenda needs to be met in terms of training, identifying new black managers and meeting the scorecard in terms of preferential procurement. I also need, however, to ensure there is growth. Even if all scorecard criteria are met, we cannot move forward without growth.” SMIT Amandla Marine’s track record spans some three decades. It now operates a fleet of 21 owned or managed vessels. Managing Director Paul Maclons says: “We operate in a highly competitive environment and our people are the most important contributors to success”. Our clients expect and receive world class operational and safety standards. Following the finalisation of our empowerment transaction in late 2005, we are geared SMIT representatives during the SMIT Amandla Marine launch in To the sound of an African drum beat, South African Minister of Transport Jeff Radebe introduced SMIT Amandla Marine to the South African maritime industry on November 15 2005. The formal launch event was held in Cape Town. Minister of Transport Jeff Radebe, Manana Nhlanhla, Sithembiso Mthethwa, Abel Dutilh and Paul Maclons. SMIT Amandla Marine’s chairperson is Manana Nhlanhla. Commenting on the course she has set for the organisation, Manana says: “Our strategic objectives focus on three areas: sustainability, transformation and growth. Addressing the audience, Minister Radebe said: “The initiative by SMIT Internationale enhances the participation of the previously marginalized groups in the economy of this country. I am confident that the successful implementation of the vision of SMIT Amandla Marine will not only meet the objectives of broad-based Black Economic Empowerment but will contribute significantly to the overall developmental objectives of our government. SMIT Amandla Marine has set an example of what can be achieved when South Africans work together in making sure that this country is a better place for all people who live in it.” for growth and are excited about future prospects”. SMIT Amandla Marine’s clients range from private sector to government, including PetroSA and its offshore support activities and the National Department of Transport, with its national pollution prevention function. The company also has long term service relationships with De Beers Marine and local oil companies. In addition, it provides vessel management services for the Department of Environmental Affairs & Tourism’s fleet of supply vessels and fisheries research/patrol fleet. The organisation also represents a critical link between consistent fuel supply and the country’s economy, through involvement in the management of offshore tanker terminals for PetroSA and SAPREF and the provision of in-port bunker delivery services for ships calling at Durban and Richards Bay. Cape Town. Caring for the marine environment Making history in service to client SMIT holds a contract with the South African Department of Transport for the provision of standby salvage services. The tug ‘Smit Amandla’ is in the frontline of the country’s protective measures against pollution. In fact, South Africa was the first country in the world to enter into such an agreement with private industry, back in the 1970s. SMIT Amandla Marine recently played host to a two-day ‘Marine Emergency Response’ workshop in February which focused on providing more insight into the business of salvage, communication, planning and response. Six vessels on charter to one client at one time is no mean feat, but this achievement was celebrated by SMIT Amandla Marine in January. The SMIT Amandla Marine team at the EB-T offshore field began the first ship-to-ship transfer for client PetroSA on January 31. The operation involved the tankers Knock Dee and Nordic Laurita. The three-day STS involved the ‘Pentow Skua’, ‘SMIT Lloyd 33’ and the ‘Kuswag IV’. A second STS followed in mid-February. In January, SMIT Amandla’s six vessels on charter to PetroSA included those mentioned above and the ‘Pentow Malgas’, ‘Eagle Star’ and ‘Sarah Baartman’. Bringing the Moquini home The disappearance of the yacht Moquini in 2005, during the Mauritius to Durban yacht race, was a tragic event that made headlines around South Africa and elsewhere in the world. The fate of the six crew members was unknown. In early February reports of a capsized yacht were received by the Marine Rescue Co-ordination Centre and the South African Maritime Safety Authority requested ‘Smit Amandla’ to proceed to a position some 500 miles off East London and investigate. The yacht was located and confirmed as the Moquini. The vessel was righted and towed to Durban, where the families of the six missing crew members could attain a degree of closure. A story of subsea success It takes a unique kind of individual to pursue a career as a diver. It requires specialist skills, intense training and the acceptance of the element of risk. As a training ground for divers to gain oilfield experience, SMIT’s terminal operation in Mossel Bay is unsurpassed. The diver training programme has achieved much success, particularly in the training of black diver candidates. Participants of the ‘Marine Emergency Response’ workshop. tug magazine SMIT Singapore receives honours In a ceremony last November, held at the Malacanang Palace - the official residence of the President of the Philippines - representatives of SMIT Singapore received the Presidential International Employer Award from Her Excellency Gloria MacapagalArroyo. SMIT’s Jan Peter Duijvestijn, Director of Shared Resources, and Victor Dass, Manager of Human Resources, represented the Group at the ceremony. The award recognises, inter alia, SMIT Singapore’s long term employment of Filipino seafarers, its contribution to the Filipino economy and its cadet-training scheme and training and development programmes for officers and crew. The Directors and General Manager of Asian Lift celebrate the company’s twentieth year of operation. Asian Lift celebrates 20 years Asian Lift celebrated 20 successful years in the heavy lift industry in March of this year. The company was formed in 1985 as a joint venture between Keppel FELS and SMIT. To mark the milestone, Asian Lift organized a golf game for clients and business partners in the morning, followed by a reception and dinner. A total of 42 golfers teed off at Raffles Country Club for a friendly game. They included Abel Dutilh, Managing Director of SMIT Transport & Heavy Lift and SMIT Salvage, and Choo Chiau Beng, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Keppel Offshore and Marine. The evening dinner reception was held at Singapore’s Shangri-la Hotel, with about 180 guests and staff attending. In his opening address, Abel Dutilh noted that Asian Lift now has five floating sheerlegs in its fleet. The largest unit is ‘Asian Hercules II’, with a 3,200 tonnes lift capacity - the largest sheerlegs in South East Asia. Jan Peter Duijvestijn, Labor Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas, Victor Dass and other representatives. SMIT Singapore has been employing Filipino seafarers for the past 30 years. The company currently has 1,235 Filipino personnel in its regular pool of marine crew. They range from Masters to cooks. In a separate ceremony a day earlier, SMIT Singapore also received a ministerial award as an outstanding employer of Filipino seafarers, granted by the Department of Labor and Employment. It was presented by Labor Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas. Human Resources Manager Victor Dass said that SMIT employs seafarers of many nationalities, but Filipino staff were prominent. He added: “Their strong seafaring tradition, ability to converse in English and a positive work attitude are amongst the reasons for the high number of Filipino staff employed.” The awards received were based on employment figures and data on economic and welfare contributions to the Philippines provided by the Philippines Overseas Employment Administration (POEA). SMIT Transport & Heavy Lift expands fleet At a ceremony on March 29th, SMIT Singapore signed the contract for the purchase of seven newly-built vessels from Hadi H. AlHammam Est., of Saudi Arabia. These vessels are in the 75 tonnes bollard pull class and represent a modified version of the existing vessels ‘Smit Kamara’ and ‘Smit Komodo’. The first two units in this series will be delivered this year. The third and fourth vessels are expected in 2007 and the last three in 2008. These versatile work vessels - with anchorhandling, firefighting, supply, rescue and towing capabilities - will be managed by SMIT Singapore. The first of the new vessels was named ‘Smit Lombok’ by Ms Lee Sook Fung at a ceremony held in Singapore during April. SMIT Chief Executive Officer Ben Vree and the Supervisory Board of SMIT Internationale N.V. attended the ceremony. F.l.t.r. Ms Lee Sook Fung, Manager Finance and Administration SMIT Singapore, Capt. John Bruinsma, Manager SMIT Transport Asia, Mr TK Rajgopal of Hadi H. Al‑Hammam Est, Mr Robert Chua of Hadi H. Al‑Hammam Est. and Mr Tony Seah, Legal Counsel SMIT Singapore. This significant investment represents both expansion and fleet replacement. Three vessels have already secured long-term contracts for the oil and gas sector - working for Saudi Aramco in Saudi waters, through Hadi H. Al-Hamman Est. This Group and SMIT have declared their intent to jointly pursue additional opportunities in Saudi Arabia. The acquisition of the new vessels fit SMIT’s strategy of focusing on the top-sector of the market, with long-term contracts, autonomous growth and fleet renewal. 13 w w w. s m i t. c o m Sharing knowledge of casualty response and pollution prevention SMIT’s latest “Managing Marine Emergencies” (MME) course, held in Rotterdam during April, brought together shipping and insurance professionals from around the world. Delegates attending this course included P&I managers, hull underwriters, spill responders and representatives of government agencies, port authorities and vessel owners and operators. The delegates were drawn from eight countries. The purpose of the four-day course is to share first-hand knowledge of the operational realities of managing a major incident, including effective liaison with the media and other third parties. The course draws on real cases to explore problems and solutions and, in doing so, highlights best practice. This popular course was first established over a decade ago. It is held twice-yearly at SMIT’s Rotterdam headquarters and annually in Singapore. The MME programme has two sections. The first spans three days and explores the technical, legal, insurance and salvage aspects of casualty response. This course element is presented by SMIT’s salvage experts and external specialists. The final day focuses on the external aspects of response, including communication with the media. Delegates participate in a highly realistic casualty simulation, gaining knowledge which is readily transferable to the workplace. During the exercise, they learn to balance operational priorities with the need to communicate effectively with a range of third parties in high pressure circumstances. This final MME day is managed by a consultant specialising in media and marine casualty response. SMIT Salvage Commercial Director Geert Koffeman says: “Course participants really enjoy this challenging last day, as it provides the complete picture of what it feels like to be at the centre of a high profile casualty. The demands of media response require the response teams to think beyond purely operational aspects and to consider the public and political consequences of their decisions. Some tough decisions are required and, as in the case of a real situation, the participants have to live with any error of judgement or inappropriate release of information. For this reason, every decision they take is crucial.” A new generation Knowledge-sharing and knowledge management are also matters of great importance within the SMIT organisation. SMIT Salvage Director Hans van Rooij explains: “Knowledgesharing is a concept which is simple to express but much harder to achieve. In the context of salvage, the biggest challenge here is to ‘transmit’ knowledge to a new generation. This has become more difficult in recent years, as there are far fewer opportunities to gain experience in the field. no easy matter. Their expertise must be transferred if we are to do everything possible to reduce risks to people and the environment. One way forward is closer personal contact between people of different generations. Another approach is to compile databases on the management of particularly complex and difficult salvage operations. We are pursuing both methods. “Furthermore, every salvage operation now performed is documented and recorded in such a way that the key data can be studied by those who may, one day, find themselves facing the same situation.” With pollution prevention now the top priority in virtually every salvage operation, environmental care is the first principle of casualty response. Care for the marine environment represents an important market for salvage services. Hans van Rooij says: “Our people fully understand the significance of environmental care. This embraces a number of issues, including regulatory requirements, political realities and industry liabilities. In our view, SMIT has much to offer in sharing knowledge of issues such as contingency planning, disaster recovery and new technology, to overcome operational challenges.” Participants of SMIT’s MME course in April in Rotterdam. “Modern marine salvage requires a high level of academic knowledge. Yet, at the same time, many salvage skills can be developed only in the field. Today, however, there are far fewer casualties and, therefore, fewer opportunities to gain operational experience. “The precious knowledge gained by an older generation needs to be preserved and transferred and that is URS: new tugs for Zeebrugge expected by year-end URS is expecting the delivery of a further two newbuildings by the end of this year. During 2005 four 33 m ASD tugs, with a 66 tonnes bollard pull, joined the URS fleet following delivery from Astilleros Armon of Spain. During mid-2005 URS placed a second order with the same yard, for two tugs of 25 m. These units have a similar bollard pull - 65 tonnes - and are designed and outfitted for two-man operation. The 25 m tugs have some novel features. The deckhouse is around 80 cm higher than the four 33 m units, giving exceptional vision. The wire runs under the deckhouse to the stern. This means they can work with only one winch and tow over the stern. The new 25 m tugs will be stationed at Zeebrugge, where shipping traffic levels continue to rise. URS is reinforcing its competitive position on the Scheldt and in the ports of Antwerp, Flushing, Zeebrugge, Terneuzen and Gent. Its strategy is founded on the ability to compete successfully on costs and operational efficiency. Increasingly, the status of cost-leader depends on efficient two-man operation of tugs. Fleet standardisation is another important issue. The URS fleet’s 3111 and 2801 tugs are crucial as they offer great flexibility across a wide range of harbour towage and other marine services. Four URS tugs providing harbour towage assistance in Antwerp, Belgium. URS, meanwhile, is considering the renewal of its larger offshore tugs. Studies are now under way. Options are being explored for the replacement of vessels in the 80 tonnes bollard pull class. Other developments in recent months include the preparation of a major tender for the longterm maintenance and repair management of pilot boats on the Scheldt. The outcome of this bid is awaited. As for salvage activity on the river and adjacent waters, URS recently joined Terneuzen-based Multraship in the operation to free the Kuwaiti vessel Fowairet, which grounded on a bank. The salvage team succeeded in refloating this casualty. tug magazine SMITWijs expands GTA ocean towage pool The SmitWijs - managed Global Towing Alliance (GTA) pool expanded its fleet of ocean-going long haul tugs with the addition of a unit from COESS (China Ocean Engineering Services/Shanghai Salvage) in 2005. This tug is the 2000-built, 185 tonnes bollard pull ‘De Hong’. An 89.9m, 200 tonnes bollard pull newbuild is now under construction at Wuchang Shipyard, Wuhan, China. This tug is expected to join the SmitWijs fleet, under the GTA banner, by early 2007. The newbuilding is to be known as ‘De Zhou’. SmitWijs was established in 1991. It is a 50:50 joint venture between SMIT and what is now SvitzerWijsmuller. Its primary market is the provision of long haul ocean towage services for FPSO’s and other large floating objects, including FSOs and semi-submersible rigs. Assignments also involve floating units such as large construction barges and floating docks. During 2005 SmitWijs contributed to the wider SMIT restructuring programme. It withdrew from the anchorhandling sector and sold the units ‘Tempest’ and ‘Typhoon’. This reflects the fact that both SmitWijs partners are already active in the anchorhandling market through other companies and operations. (SvitzerWijsmuller through Maersk/A.P. Moller’s global infrastructure and, in the case of SMIT, the build programme for the new ‘Smit Kamara’ Class of anchorhandling/multirole vessels). SmitWijs now focuses entirely on the core business of long haul ocean towage. Beyond the GTA fleet, the joint venture also operates the Emergency Towing Vessel Waker, based at Den Helder and operating under contract to the Dutch Government to provide standby towage and salvage services. The responsibility for the ‘Waker’s salvage duties rotates annually between SMIT and SvitzerWijsmuller. SmitWijs Managing Director Jord Veldman says the outlook for SmitWijs/GTA is encouraging: “The market began to improve during the second half of 2004 and this improvement continued during last year. We expect further progress this year and for the foreseeable future.” FPSO ‘Erha’ during transport from Singapore to Nigeria. Assignments in 2005 included a contract with Heerema for the transport of jackets and decks for offshore installations in West African waters. Many of the pool tugs - ‘Wolraad Woltemade’, ‘SmitWijs Singapore’, ‘De Da’ and ‘SmitWijs Rotterdam’ - were involved in this series of eight voyages, completed in the November 2004-August 2005 period. Each voyage, towing laden Heerema barges from the US Gulf to offshore Angola, took around 40 days. Another notable project during 2005 was the tow of the newbuild FPSO ‘Sanha’ from Japan to Angola. This FPSO, constructed by IHI, was delivered on location during March 2005 by the ‘Wolraad Woltemade’ and ‘De Da’. These tugs were entrusted with a very special asset. ‘Sanha’ is unusual, being an LPG FPSO. It is required for the ‘Sanha’ gas condensate/ Bomboco project offshore Cabinda, Angola. The FPSO was ordered by ChevronTexaco’s Angolan affiliate, Cabinda Gulf Oil Company. The FPSO now receives LPG from two adjacent platforms (Sanha PCP and F-GP) before offloading to shuttle tankers. It is capable of processing over 37,000 barrels of LPG per day into propane and butane products. The vessel has storage for 135,000 cu m of these products. Another SmitWijs FPSO assignment involved the ExxonMobil-owned ‘Erha’, which was towed from Singapore to Nigeria, under contract with Saipem. This project commenced in September and ‘Erha’ was installed by early January. Three GTA tugs- ‘SmitWijs Singapore’, ‘SmitWijs Rotterdam’ and ‘De Hong’ - performed this voyage. A second contract was awarded by Stolt to SmitWijs for marine support during the installation phase. This 285 m FPSO has an initial production capacity of 165,000 bopd and storage capacity of 2.2 million bbls. The market for semi-submersible rig moves was buoyant in 2005. SmitWijs contracts included the repositioning of the ‘Deepsea Driller II’ from Singapore to the US Gulf. The voyage was undertaken by the ‘SmitWijs London’, 22,000 hp. The rig arrived in the Gulf of Mexico in May of last year. Other rig moves included the relocations of the Pride North America, from Angola to Egypt, and the Atwood Southern Cross, first from and the move of Stena Tay from Mauritania to the US Gulf. This assignment, on behalf of TotalFinaElf, was performed by ‘SmitWijs Singapore’. Stena Tay arrived in the US Gulf during mid-March. “This was an interesting project. Stena Tay is self-propelled but towage was required in order to reduce mobilisation time in the very strong rig market. In a low market, the rig would almost certainly have proceeded under her own power. The fact that towage was required underlines the strength of the current rig market. We have seen a number of towage assignments in recent times with the main objective of fast mobilisation.” Rig tows now in prospect include the move of the ‘Safe Scandinavia’ from the US Gulf to Norway. ‘SmitWijs Rotterdam’ will commence this voyage this month (May). Meanwhile, the pool tug ‘De Da’ has just completed the relocation of the Sedco 702 from Australia to Singapore. In addition, the ‘Wolraad Woltemade’ has also just completed the move of the ‘Safe Concordia’ from Singapore to the US Gulf. Singapore to Egypt and, subsequently, from Egypt to Malta. After this voyage, ‘SmitWijs London’ proceeded immediately with the tow of a floating drydock from Malta to Namibia, completing three successful tows in rapid succession immediately after her drydocking last year. This busy rig move programme continued into 2006. Jord Veldman says: “We are still in a very strong spot market. The semi-sub rig moves so far this year included the relocation of ‘Blackford Dolphin’ from South Africa to Rotterdam, tackled by the ‘SmitWijs London’, Jord Veldman adds: “FPSO assignments this year include the P.54 newbuilding, now under tow by ‘SmitWijs Rotterdam’ from Singapore to Brazil. This vessel is required for the Roncador Field, in the Campos Basin, offshore Brazil. Prior to commencing this voyage, ‘SmitWijs Rotterdam’ assisted in the salvage of the ‘Hyundai Fortune’, a container vessel which exploded whilst off Aden. “Looking ahead, we expect the rig market to remain strong for at least the next 18-24 months. Furthermore, interesting opportunities continue to arise in the FPSO sector.” The ‘SmitWijs London’ departing from Malta with a floating drydock. 15 w w w. s m i t. c o m Rotterdam success for ITS 2006 SMIT played a prominent role in making Rotterdam an outstanding success as a venue for the 19th International Tug & Salvage Convention and Exhibition, held in the city during April. SMIT tugs participated in a record-breaking event during the five-day programme. The tugs ‘Smit Loire’, ‘Smit Owena’, ‘Eerland 5’, ‘Eerland 23’ and ‘Rijn’ were amongst a fleet of over 50 tugs parading at Rotterdam’s Cruise Terminal. The ITS 2006 organisers have applied to the Guinness Book of Records for an entry to mark the world’s biggest parade of tugs, representing old and new and the smallest to the largest now in service. join a tour of SMIT’s new headquarters at the Waalhaven. The conference delegates then concluded ITS 2006 at an evening reception hosted by SMIT on board the ‘Admi’, moored alongside the company’s headquarters. The ITS 2006 inaugural paper was presented by SMIT Salvage Managing Director Hans van Rooij, in his capacity as President of the Ben Vree interviewed by conference Chairman Mike Allen. International Salvage Union. The conference programme included an interview with SMIT CEO Ben Vree. The interview, before the audience of conference delegates, was conducted by conference Chairman Mike Allen. Russia and Turkey. SMIT’s stand was one of the largest at the exhibition and was frequently visited throughout the event. During his address, Hans van Rooij referred to the new ISU proposals for the introduction of Environmental Awards for salvage services which result in pollution prevention. During March, a meeting of the Lloyd’s Salvage Group agreed to establish a special subcommittee to examine these proposals. Under the ISU’s concept, Salvage Awards would continue to reward salvors who recover property, but a distinct Environmental Award would be introduced, to reward those who prevent spills and, consequently, reduce the burden of clean-up costs and compensation claims. During the final day, Friday April 28th, many ITS 2006 delegates took the opportunity to SMIT, together with other ISU members, have a successful track record in preventing pollu- Hans van Rooij presenting the ITS 2006 inaugural paper. Hans van Rooij also referred to the emergency services provided by ISU salvors in the United States, following hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The salvage operations ranged from the recovery of drifting oil rigs to the refloating of grounded vessels in the Mississippi. The ITS 2006 programme also included a paper on technical developments in salvage presented by Bert Kleijwegt, Business Development Manager and Senior Salvage Consultant for SMIT Salvage. Rotterdam is a natural location for ITS as, in many ways, it is the epicentre of the international tug and salvage industries. The venue certainly attracted record numbers of delegates and exhibitors. The conference venue was the newly-refurbished Beurs-World Trade Congress Centre, in the business heart of Rotterdam. ITS 2006 was opened by Dutch Minister of Public Works, Transport and Watermanagement Dr Karla Peijs. The exhibitors included no less than 14 tug builders, from Singapore, India, Canada, tion. Over the past 12 years, nearly 13 million tonnes of oils, chemicals and other pollutants have been recovered from over 2,000 ship casualties. which produced the “FOR” (Fast oil Recovery) system. This is a pre-installed connector system, it allows for rapid connection for the ship-to-ship transfer of cargo or bunkers, or the pump-out of pollutants from sunken vessels. The ITS delegates’ visit to SMIT began during the late afternoon of April 28th. Guests were welcomed by SMIT Chief Executive Ben Vree. They then began a tour of the new headquarters building, quayside facilities and SMIT’s principal salvage warehouse in the Netherlands. In this logistics centre, salvage equipment is held in readiness for immediate deployment anywhere in the world. Bert Kleijwegt said there are three main drivers for innovation in salvage: greater efficiency, new operational needs (including the salvage of ever larger and more complex vessels) and public concern for the marine environment. He described SMIT’s work in developing new systems for greater efficiency, including the wreck-cutting wire and the Aqualub water injection system for the effective pumping of heavy oils. As for new operational needs, he cited the development of new systems for dealing with fires on a new generation of gigantic container vessels. He also outlined SMIT’s research concerning the salvage of double-hulled tankers. In the area of environmental care, Bert Kleijwegt told ITS delegates that SMIT’s pioneering work continues in developing systems for the cost-effective assessment of pollution threats and the diverless recovery of pollutants from sunken vessels. Other innovations on the environmental front include SMIT’s concept for a mobile, high capacity system for the treatment of salvage wastewaters. SMIT is also a partner in a venture Minister Karla Peijs and Alderman Wim van Sluis made their presence at the opening of ITS 2006. The visitors were briefed on how SMIT maintains readiness at a level allowing salvage teams to intervene and perform several major operations simultaneously, on a global basis. The tour concluded with drinks and a dinner on board the ‘Admi’.
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