Protection of Fuel Tanks

Safetyahead!China Tracking Down VibrationEnvironment Waste Overboard?Energy India´s Wind Giant

The Magazine for Customers and Business Partners

EDITION 4 • 2006

Six thousand times thank you!Six thousand ships with GL class.

Germanischer Lloyd AktiengesellschaftVorsetzen 35 · 20459 Hamburg/GermanyPhone: +49 40 36149-0 · Fax: +49 40 36149-200headoffice@gl-group.com · www.gl-group.com

Six thousand ships with about 60 million GT are now on course with GL class! This is awonderful occasion to thank our customers for their trust and cooperation in the spiritof partnership. At the same time this milestone is a great incentive for us to continueour successful growth and to keep offering our customers first-class service.

Das Besondere ist unsere Stärke

EDITORIAL

The year 2006 will be ending in just a few weeks. Perhaps it is a bit too early to draw any final conclusions just yet. But there can already be no doubt that Germanischer Lloyd will once again be able to present impressive growth figures. During the first three quarters alone, Maritime Services sales increased by 11 % while In-dustrial Services sales grew by as much as 34 %. We are especially happy about the rising number of newbuild-ing orders for tankers and bulk carriers. In particular, we have been able to boost tanker classification or-ders by almost two million GT, demonstrating that our corporate expansion strategy is on the right track.

Despite vigorous competition, we successfully defended our market share in the classification of container ves-sels. In October 2006, we received the highest number of orders this year, and the second highest in our com-pany’s entire history of 139 years. A special highlight in November was the world’s first-ever order for the clas-sification of submarines, specifically three vessels from German production for the South African Navy. Our innovative submarine engineering rules, first published in February 2005, underscore our comprehensive technological expertise. Germanischer Lloyd is the only classification society offering such a service. Our maritime safety philosophy of maximizing precaution while ensuring economic feasibility remains as compelling as ever. New interna-tional regulations for the protection of fuel oil tanks were introduced recently. Our engineers show how doing a few extra calculations can be most worthwhile in finding the optimum tank arrangement. To learn how helpful this is, please read our lead article.

Success makes attractive. The shareholders of Germanischer Lloyd are being ardently courted at the moment. While we perceive these renewed advances as clear appreciation of our excel-lent performance, there should be no misconceptions about the origin of our success. Indeed, it is the result of the hard work of our loyal employees, who are dedicated to providing excel-lent service to the customers of our Society. “Operating 24/7” is not only our credo but also the first-class principle of continued commitment to quality, safety and economic efficiency. We will continue to be there to offer you outstanding service. You have my word on that.

Yours sincerely,

Rainer SchöndubeMember of the Executive Board

Dear Readers,

Rainer Schöndube

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CONTENTS

nonstop Issue no. 4/2006, Dec. 2006 Circulation nonstop is published four times a year with a print run of 9,500 copies in German and 11,500 in English Published byGermanischer Lloyd Aktiengesellschaft, Hamburg Editorial Director Dr Olaf Mager, Press and Information Managing Editor Steffi Gößling Authors of this issue Steffen Brauer(SB), Hendrik Bruhns (HB), Ould El Moctar (OEM), Christian Göldenboog (CG), Anne Güldenpfennig (AG), Jürgen Helm (JH), Christoph Hinz (CH), Jörn Iken (JI), AtanaskaKostadinova (AK), Nora Luttmer (NL), Jens Meyer (JM), Stefanie Normann (SN), Nina Pauls (NP), Barbara Sommerhoff (BS), Jasmin Straube (JS) Design and Productionprintprojekt, Schulterblatt 58, 20357 Hamburg, Germany Layout Oliver Lohrengel Prepress Fire Department Printed by K.O. Storck & Co. Subscription Service This magazinecan be obtained from pr@gl-group.com Reprint © Germanischer Lloyd Aktiengesellschaft 2006. Reprinting permitted – copy requested. All information is correct to the bestof our knowledge. Contributions by external authors do not necessarily reflect the views of the editors or of Germanischer Lloyd. Enquiries to: Germanischer Lloyd AG, Pressand Information, Vorsetzen 35, 20459 Hamburg, Germany, Phone: +49 40 36149-4509, Fax: +49 40 36149-250, E-Mail: pr@gl-group.com

IMPRINT

COVERSTORY

12 Fuel Tank Protection: Safety Ahead!

MARITIME SERVICES

5 News

11 CD-ROM: The New GL ShipManager

16 “Safer than in the Past” – Interview EMSA Executive de Ruiter

19 GL Vent: Cool Transport

20 Emergency Response Service: SOS at 0. 30 a.m.

23 Shiplifting: Fluids in Motion

24 GL Pegasus: Checking Steel in Style

26 Union Transport: From Basel to Bromley

29 “Quality is Non-Negotiable” – Interview Dr Wasmansdorff

30 China: Tracking Down Vibration

32 Waste Management: Waste Overboard?

36 VDMA: Goals for the Future

INDUSTRIAL SERVICES

38 News

40 India: Lord of the Wind – Interview Suzlon CEO Tanti

43 Poland: Just a Stamp Won’t Do

44 Pipelines: Smart Pigs on a Mission

STANDARDS

46 Perspectives – Review: Plimsoll’s Lifeline

47 New Directions – GL Academy

48 Addresses: Headquarters and Divisions

12Safety:Fuel TankProtection

16Interview:EMSA Executivede Ruiter

24GL Pegasus:The Softwarethat Tells

40Wind Energy:India’sMarketLeader

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News from the Maritime Services

AFrench competitor’s takeover at-tempt was among the many topics.

Following GL Board Member RainerSchöndube’s detailed report on thebusiness situation of the enterprise,the participants at the second annu-al meeting of the Economic AdvisoryCommittee briefly discussed the BVtakeover offer. Several representativesof shipown-ing companies threatenedto change classes in the event thatGermanischer Lloyd’s high safety andquality standards were to be compro-mised.

The full agenda prevented a moreextensive discussion. Dr Hermann J.Klein explained the upcoming changesaffecting Panmax ship sizes. Followingthe enlargement of the Panama Canal,larger Panmax-type container vesselswill be able to use this major transitroute from the year 2014 onwards.

The dimensions of the new shiptype will be matched to the width ofthe locks. These will be 427 m long, 55m wide, and 18.3 m deep. Dr Klein in-troduced a new, innovative containership design adapted to the new canaldimensions – 398 m long, 54.2 m wideand 27.7 m tall, capable of carrying14,000 standard containers. The newregulation on the protection of fueloil bunkers, effective for ships withkeels laid on or after 1 February 2008,have been incorporated in the designof these vessels (refer to our lead storyon p. 12).

Yacht design. A speech that met withparticular interest was the lecture by

Torsten Conradi, general manager ofjudel/vrolijk & co engineering gmbh,on the topic: “What are the Character-istics of Successful Regatta and SeriesYachts?” His engineering company, ac-tive internationally, has been design-ing sail and motor yachts since 1978.With its first series yacht, named “Pop-corn”, judel/vrolijk & co firmly estab-lished their name in the regatta world.

Their designs have earned numer-ous titles in international competi-tions, among them nine Admiral’s

Cups, the unofficial team ocean racingworld championship. Apart from rac-ing yachts, the company has also be-come a leader in the design of cruisingyachts.

As with all sports disciplines, it isnot just the material used that makesthe difference. The hull, the sails, therigging, the trim – they all figure in theequation, as do the preparation logis-tics, the sailing tactics, and the team’sprofessionalism.

www.judel-vrolijk.com

ECONOMIC ADVISORY COMMITTEE

News from Panama

Germanischer Lloyd AG’s manage-ment and supervisory board have

recommended that their shareholdersreject the takeover offer of BureauVeritas. It is neither adequate for the

society and its 3,200 members, nor isit in the shareholders’ best interest.Upon reviewing and evaluating the of-fer, a mutual statement was prepared,explaining to the 50 shareholders the

grounds for declining the offer. Thestatement clearly refl ects the unani-mous disapproval of the offer by themanagement team, the supervisoryboard and the employees.

TAKEOVER OFFER

Vive la Différence

REGATTA YACHT. Design makes the difference.

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NEWS | MARITIME SERVICES

C lassification orders for more than 100 newbuildings with a

total GTI number of 2.1 million set the monthly record in orders received for 2006, topping the total volume of the year 1995. By the end of October, orders totalled 1,116 ships with a joint GTI of 19.6 million. “Based on our current or-ders on hand, we expect 2006 to be another year with a double-digit growth rate,” said Germanischer Lloyd Board of Executives Mem-ber Rainer Schöndube.

ORDERBOOK

New Record in October

STG GENERAL ASSEMBLY

The Need for a Long-term Perspective

Whatever the reason, the ope-ning night of this year’s annual

meeting of the Schiffbautechnische Gesellschaft, Germany’s time-hon-oured Society for Maritime Techno-logy, at Hotel Hafen Hamburg was unusually crowded. STG honorary member Bernhard Meyer, owner of the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papen-burg, enlightened the audience on the strengths and opportunities of the German shipbuilding industry. Referring to the current high level of incoming orders, he used the steel, copper and nickel markets as ex-amples to illustrate the exotic world of pricing, showing how difficult it can be to make sound price calcula-

tions in a high-demand situation. The high-end luxury yacht and

cruise ship sector will offer ship-builders attractive opportunities during the next ten years. Contin-ued product innovation and further improvements to the industry’s in-ternal structure are prerequisites for translating opportunities into busi-ness success. Collaboration in re-search projects in the areas of man-ufacturing and logistics could gener-ate competitive advantages. Cooper-ative purchasing on a national and international level will save costs.

Competition from Asia. Citing deficits in engineer training, Meyer called upon the government to step up its support for education. He also criti-cized the high social security contri-butions as a factor compromising in-ternational competitiveness.

The high cost of labour, he said, is just as problematic for shipbuilders as the excessive bureaucracy. He par-ticularly referred to current tax legis-lation levying taxes on the common practice of interim financing of new-buildings. Urging the political deci-sion-makers not to underestimate the long-term aspirations of the great Asian nations, he said: “They want to achieve something. They want to participate in our wealth.”

ADMONISHION. Shipbuilder Bernhard Meyer discussing the future of the industry.

MARKET STUDY

Shipbuilding Boom Continues

The recent shipbuilding market stud-y by HypoVereinsbank, Hamburg,

leaves no room for doubt. Shipyards and suppliers can expect to be work-ing at their limits for years to come, while market prices will reach record levels.

For over three years, the world’s shipbuilding industry has been enjoy-ing its most persistent and vigorous high tide ever. On 1 August 2006, there were 5,386 ships on order worldwide with a total tonnage of 269.1 million dwt (an international unit of measure for ship sizes), or 117.4 million CGT (another international unit of measure for ships), and a total ordered value of US$ 263.9 billion.

The situation looks bright for Ger-man shipbuilders. German shipyards

are currently profiting from a boom in the container and specialty ship sec-tors where Far-Eastern shipyards are unable to meet the current demand so orders have been rerouted to Europe.

Innovative power. By collaborating more closely, European shipbuilders could position themselves even bet-ter. German shipbuilders in particular,

as well as the world-leading German supply industry, should further lever-age their innovative potential: leading-edge ship design, superior quality and innovation, reliable delivery timing, and flexibility will be key parameters for competing successfully in the in-ternational marketplace.

THE LAUNCH. Newly-built vessel by tanker specialist Lindenau-Werft.

PRESENTATION. GL Executive

Rainer Schöndube.

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MARITIME SERVICES | NEWS

Germanischer Lloyd Supervisory Board Visits ChinaThe Chinese shipbuilding industry keeps growing. The members of the Germanischer Lloyd Supervisory Board could see this forthemselves during a joint trip to China in September. In Guangzhou, GL Executive Board Member Rainer Schöndube (seated, 2ndfrom the right) and Yiu Xueming (seated, second from the left), General Manager of Guangzhou Wenchong Shipyard, signed aGL-classifi cation agreement for twelve 1740 TEU container vessels.

SHIPBUILDING

German Shipyard Orders – TotallingUS$ 33.5 billion

At the end of the third quarter 2006,5,386 ships were on order with

shipyards worldwide, ordered by 770ship-owners from 61 countries. Theorders-per-country list is headed byshipowners from Japan and Germa-ny, totalling US$ 36.9 billion and US$33.5 billion, respectively, followed by

the USA. (US$ 21.4 billion), Greece(US$ 18.8 billion), and Norway (US$16.5 billion). According to ClarksonResearch, the high investment volumein Germany is largely attributable tothe German limited partnership (KG)model that facilitates access to privatecapital.

VIETNAM

Two New Offi ces

November was a busy month: Viet-nam became a member of the

World Trade Organization (WTO);the trade fair “Maritime Vietnam”showcased the growing importanceof shipbuilding and the supply in-dustry; and Germanischer Lloyd off-icially opened its new offi ces in Ha-noi and Haiphong. Le Thanh Binh,Germanischer Lloyd Country Ma-nager for Vietnam, welcomed morethan 60 guests from the country’sadministration, the shipyard in-dustry and shipowning companiesto the opening ceremony in Hanoi.

GL opened its fi rst branch offi cein early 1995 in Ho Chi Minh City. To-

day, close to 30 container ships andmulti-purpose vessels under con-struction in Vietnamese shipyardsfor Vietnamese, German and Danishowners are up for classifi cation byGermanischer Lloyd. Even the localsupply industry uses GL certifi cationservices for equipment such as boil-ers or welding consumables.

ASIA

Thielemann Retiring

Before I close a business deal, Iwant to get to know my busi-

ness partners personally.” This wasHergen Thielemann’s approachto winning customers throughoutthe Asian continent, said Dr Her-mann J. Klein in his eulogy duringMr Thielemann’s farewell ceremo-ny in Shanghai last October.

Thielemann leaves Germa-nischer Lloyd after nearly 29 yearsof service in 14 countries. His lastposition was that of East AsianDivision Manager, based in Sing-apore and Shanghai. Life in Asiais not always easy for a European,said Hu Jintao, President of navalengineering company SDARI. “Youmanaged with sincerity and a goodsense of humour. We will always re-member you with fondness.”

PARTY TIME. Dang Thanh Quang (left) andHuynh Hong Vu (right) congratulate Le Thanh

Binh and Dr Volkmar Wasmansdorff (GL).

FAREWELL.SDARI manager Hu Jintaoand Hergen Thielemann.

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NEWS | MARITIME SERVICES

The event at the great hall of theHamburg Ship Model Basin (HSVA)

was better attended than some of hisuniversity lectures, said Günther F.Clauss, winking, as he began the 29thGeorg Weinblum Memorial Lecture.150 engineers had come to listen toClauss, a professor at the Berlin Tech-nical University’s Institute of Navaland Maritime Technology. The title ofhis speech: „The Taming of the Shrew

– Tailoring Freak Wave Sequences forSeakeeping Tests.“

„What is a monster wave?“ askedClauss, introducing an evasive of top-ic to his audience. The existence suchextreme waves, characterized by anenormous height, is hard to prove. A

few occurrences have been registeredby offshore research platforms. „Butmonster waves are not as rare as youmight think,“ said Clauss. His goal isto put some figures on the seeminglyincalculable phenomenon. As a resultof his research, freak waves can nowbe described through mathematicalmodels, and simulated in wave chan-nels. Their effects on ship models canbe tested under realistic conditions.

Clauss envisions computer pro-grams capable of anticipating monsterwaves. One day, CASH (Computer Aid-ed Ship Handling) systems will hope-fully deliver information on an im-minent natural event previously con-sidered unpredictable. Germanischer

Lloyd is actively supporting this devel-opment project.

Memorial Lecture:The Georg Weinblum Memorial En-dowment was established in 1978 inGermany and the USA in memory ofGeorg P. Weinblum, an internationallyrenowned naval scientist. Once everyyear, an internationally respected navalhydrodynamics expert gives a lectureto support international cooperationin this fi eld as fostered by Weinblum.

LECTURE

Taming the Monster Waves

Leverage your contacts proactively! This isyour only chance to make your ideas be

heard!“ A piece of advice given by Dr MaryPapaschinopoulou to an audience of 220guests invited by Germanischer Lloyd tothe Old Papenburg Shipyard.

Papaschinopoulou heads the Brusselsoffi ce of the Northern German Chamber ofCommerce and represents the interests ofGermanischer Lloyd with European Union

agencies. In her speech, she emphasized Eu-rope’s role as a focal point of maritime trade:40% of the world’s trade fl eet is European-owned, and 80% of EU imports and exportspass through the Union‘s seaports. “2007 willbe an interesting, trend-setting year for mar-itime trade,” said Dr Papaschinopoulou. Keyitems on the agenda are the Third MaritimeSafety Package, and the Green Book defi ninga common European maritime policy.

PAPENBURG

What Counts in Brussels?

LOBBYIST.Dr Mary Papaschinopoulou.

What kinds of problems can ships encounter in icy seas?How can damages be prevented? At the recent GL ExchangeForum “Operating in Ice”, three Finnish experts educat-ed their audience of 80 about the hazards of navigatingthrough a frozen Baltic. They agreed that many propellerand rudder damages are caused by inexperienced crews.Collisions frequently occur between a ship and its ice-breaker or between several ships of a convoy. Cracks, holesor damaged superstructures are often the consequences,said Seppo Liukkonen, Germanischer Lloyd’s Helsinki Sta-tion Manager.

Navigating ice. But how can you prevent such accidents?Deltamarin Contracting LTD is currently developing spe-cialized ice navigation training programmes. Expert KimmoJuurma promised: “The first pilot project will be launchedsoon.” Captain Atso Uusiaho of Finnish icebreaker opera-tor Finstaship is looking forward to its implementation: “Sofar, the only way to learn was trial and error.”For further information: Seppo Liukkonen, Station Manager Helsinki,Phone: +358 9 6850750, E-Mail: seppo.liukkonen@gl-group.com

GL EXCHANGE FORUM

Trained for Ice ICE TRIP.Many crews lack

experience.

EXPERT.Prof. Günther

F. Clauss.

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MARITIME SERVICES | NEWS

The modern submarine fleet of theSouth African navy will be clas-

sified by Germanischer Lloyd. Theorder includes the examination ofengineering drawings, as well asannual safety audits. This makesGermanischer Lloyd the world’sfirst-ever classification society to beentrusted with the technical inspec-tion of military submarines.

The order comprises three con-ventional class 209, 1400 MOD-typesubmarines. Germanischer Lloyd willinspect the hull engineering draw-ings, as well as the engine and electri-cal systems based on GL engineeringregulations for military vessels. Therules governing classifi cation of na-

val ships were amended by new spec-ifi cations for military submarines inFebruary 2005.

The class. The South African sub-marines will receive the 100 N 6 Sub-marine class label. Their propulsionsystems will be classed MC U.

The fi rst technical inspections arestated for the spring of 2007. Theywill be followed by a six-year classi-fi cation term. Inspections by tech-nical experts are an effective meansto detect and remedy safety-relevantdefects.

For further information: Lorenz Petersen, Head ofDepartment, Navy Projects, Phone: +49 40 36149-254,E-Mail: lorenz.petersen@gl-group.com

SOUTH AFRICAN NAVY

First-ever Classed Submarines

MILESTONES

New Agreement

Hapag-Lloyd and GermanischerLloyd have signed an agreement

on classification and flag-state ser-vicing of GL-classed ships. “This ag-reement is a milestone in the long-standing partnership between Hapag-Lloyd and Germanischer Lloyd” saidGermanischer Lloyd executive DrHermann J. Klein. With an initial termof five years, the agreement covers allof Hapag-Lloyd’s newbuilt ships clas-sified by Germanischer Lloyd. Theinnovative stipulations of the agree-ment significantly reduce administra-tive effort.

Perspective. “This agreement rein-forces the existing relationship of trustand the mutual commitment to closecooperation for years to come,” saidHapag-Lloyd executive Adolf Adrion.

BENCHMARK.German conventional submarines areamong the world‘s best.

MUTUAL TRUST. ExecutivesDr Klein (GL) and Adrion (Hapag-Lloyd).

DECEMBER

07.12.2006GL Container Forum 2006Hamburg, Germany

JANUARY

20.01. – 28.01.2007BootDüsseldorf, Germany

24.01. – 25.01.20076th Conference of CorrosionPreventionHamburg, Germany

24.01. – 25.01.2007The Royal Inst. of NavalArchitects, „Developmentsin Classifi cation andInternational Regulations“London, UK

MARCH

07.03. – 09.03.2007Inmex ChinaGuangzhou, China

12.03. – 15.03.2007Seatrade Cruise ShippingMiami, USA

13.03. – 15.03.2007Terminal OperationsConference AsiaHongkong, China

21.03. – 22.03.2007Defence Technology AsiaSingapore

27.03. – 28.03.2007IntertankoHouston, USA

28.03. – 29.03.2007IMarEST Propulsion

ConferenceLondon, UK

29.03. – 30.03.2007SAFEDOR MÜNCHENMunich, Germany

APRIL

02.04. – 04.04.2007Sea AsiaSingapore

11.04. – 12.04.2007Motorship PropulsionConferenceHamburg, Germany

17.04. – 20.04.2007LAADRio de Janeiro, Brasil

25.04. – 28.04.2007Europort EurasiaIstanbul, Turkey

MAY

07.05. – 08.05.2007SAFEDOR BRÜSSELBrussels, Belgium

21.05. – 24.05.2007Cimac CongressVienna, Austria

JUNE

05.06.2007 – 07.06.2007Underwater DefenseTechnologyNaples, Italy

12.06. – 15.06.2007NorShippingOslo, Norway

Maritime services trade fairs

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NEWS | MARITIME SERVICES

AGREEMENT. GL Executive Rainer Schön-dube and NSC managing directors RobertoEchevarria and Dirk Rössler (from left).

Romanian Success StoryThe Romanian delegation pinning down classifi cation of 17 chemicals tankers of37,000 tdw each (left to right): Helmut Zieger and Hans-Joachim Försterling (GL),Gheorghe Bosinceanu (President, Histria Group), Dr Hermann J. Klein (GL Execu-tive), Radu Rusen, (Managing Director, Constanza Shipyard), and Daniel Albu,(Managing Director, Histria Shipmanagement).

SEAL OF APPROVAL.Herbert Weekhout andArent W. J. ter Weeme of RotorB.V. with Heinz-DieterHespe and Eric Endert ofGermanischer Lloyd(from left).

I f you ask how many electric motorsare installed on a VLCC, the answer

may be hesitant. “It depends,” theexperts on the SMM replied. Anyway,there must be lots of them, and theymust run reliably! “Our electric mo-tors usually last for 30,000 hours of

operation. They are designed to with-stand this period of time without anyproblems,“ explained Ton Snijders ofRotor B.V. “Maintenance on the smal-ler units is close to zero.”

Supplier in high demand. During theSMM, Germanischer Lloyd handed

over two design model test certificatesfor induction motors to the Eiber-gen, The Netherlands electric motorsmanufacturer. The certification is amilestone for this company that ex-ports one-third of its annual produc-tion to Asian shipyard suppliers. Serv-icing the electric motors made by theDutch manufacturer is easy, thanks totheir reliability. Jointly with the clas-sification society, pumps for essentialon-board systems – such as a motor oilpump for the main machine – can betested within a few hours on the com-pany’s own test bench.

Established in 1958, Rotor B.V. cur-rently has 90 employees. 60 of themwork in production, the others in re-search and development, sales and of-fice functions.

DIN EN ISO 8044, the relevantEuropean standard, identifies

37 different kinds of corrosion.Corrosive decay harbours manyrisks: it weakens the material;calculated bending and failuremoments no longer apply.

Recent research findings arethe topic of the Sixth Conferenceon Corrosion Prevention in Ham-burg, hosted by four organisa-tions: Gesellschaft für Korrosions-

schutz, Hafenbautechnische Ges-ellschaft, SchiffbautechnischeGesellschaft, and GermanischerLloyd. Ten lectures will featurewell-known experts from scienceand the industry.Registration: before January9th, 2007, Contact: Bianca Gosch,Phone: +49 40 36149 -7703,Fax: +49 40 36149 -7154, E-Mail:bianca.gosch@gl-group.comAttendance fee: EUR 420.00

JANUARY 24./25., 2007

Conference on Corrosion Prevention

GL SHIPMANAGER

Successful Launch

The new GL ShipManager softwarehas already won the industry over,

including NSC Schifffahrtsgesell-schaft mbH & Cie. KG, a shippingmanagement company. Its corecompetencies include operating andchartering container vessels and con-bulkers.

GL ShipManager helps the com-pany operate even more efficiently. Atthe SMM, top executives Echevarriaand Rössler signed a software licenseagreement for 60 ships.

ELECTRIC MOTORS

Reliability for The Long Run

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MARITIME SERVICES | NEWS

FreeinformationCD !

Germanischer Lloyd’s

GL ShipManagerSave Costs, Reduce Your Workload, Exchange Data with Ease

Order your free informational CD now!Ms Logistik Systeme GmbH, Am Seehafen 7, 18147 Rostock, Germany,Phone: +49 381 673 11 35, E-Mail: sales@msls.de

Carefree Software Package

A dministrative processes for shipoperators are tedious andcomplex. Germanischer Lloyd’s

GL ShipManager software can help youstreamline and automate your pro-cesses. Shipbuilders and shipownerscan deploy this tool developed by the

GL subsidiary Ms Logistik to save costs,reduce overheads and exchange datawith ease. With user-friendly, intuitivemodules and open interfaces, the CrewManagement, Technical Managementand Ship Management applicationsof GL ShipManager deliver an ideal

solution for managing your fl eet. Thisinformational CD contains an over-view of the most important applica-tions and modules. It also introducesthe Planned Maintenance module thatsupports crews in managing and moni-toring system components.

T oday’s shipping technology not only addresses theneed to protect human life and health at sea but alsoembraces the protection of the marine environment.

Having passed resolutions on the issue of isolating cargooil tanks to prevent sea pollution, IMOhas taken on the next challenge:

The ‘Marine Environment ProtectionCommittee’ (MEPC), IMO’s senior techni-cal committee on marine pollution-relatedmatters, responded to the need for betterprotection of fuel oil tanks against colli-sion and grounding damage by preparinga new draft regulation.

The result was presented to the MAR-POL convention committee, and acceptedat the 48th meeting of the IMO sub-com-mittee ‘Ship Design and Equipment’ in

Protection of fuel oil tanks: New MARPOL regulation specifi es design requirementsfor newbuildings. Germanischer Lloyd helps to minimize economic disadvantageswhile supporting high enviromental standards

Safety Ahead!

February 2005. The draft was subsequently approved atMEPC 53 in July 2005 and adopted in March 2006 at MEPC54. Now a revision of MARPOL Annex I Reg. 12 A, the newregulation, represents a revised design philosophy for fuel

oil tank arrangements that intends to re-duce the probability of oil spills due to col-lision or grounding damage.

To minimize the economic impact onship-owners, the regulation defines twoalternative design approaches: a ratherpragmatic set of descriptive rules, and amore sophisticated probabilistic approach.Both methods provide equivalent degreesof protection.

While the descriptive method specifiesthe width of the protective double hull ina way similar to the MARPOL 1/19 require-

AGENDA

Application of MARPOLAnnex I Reg. 12 A:■ Building contract on or

after 1 August 2007■ Keel laying on or

after 1 February 2008■ Delivery on or after

1 August 2010

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COVER STORY | FUEL TANK PROTECTION

COLLISION. In an emergency unprotected fuel oil tankspresent a general risk for the enviroment.

ments for cargo oil tanks, the probabilistic approach in-cludes a far greater number of parameters. Based on hypo-thetical oil outflow probabilities, it includes oil spill calcu-lations for side and bottom damages. This method is simi-lar to MARPOL 1/23 for tank size limitations on tankers.

Designing for ComplianceBased on statistical evaluations, this method offers thepossibility for more flexible double hull shell/fuel tank ar-rangements and thus should try help minimize economicdisadvantages of the increased space required in particularon container ships. This option of the regulation facilitatessafety requirements without limiting innovative design de-velopments of modern ships more than necessary.

Compliance with the oil outflow probabilistic conceptrequires new ship designs to be developed. The oil outflowparameter is extremely sensitive to geometrical changes.

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FUEL TANK PROTECTION | COVER STORY

PROTECTION OF FUEL TANKS: THE NEW IMO REGULATION FEATURES TWO APPROACHES

Generally, the tanks should be located as far inboardas possible in order to avoid large outflow in the case oflateral damage. Fuel tanks located directly on the doublebottom should be oriented to minimize the minimum oiloutflow factor, i.e. inboard of B/5. Regarding the vertical lo-cation, the bottom damage contribution can be eliminatedby placing the tanks above the waterline, i.e. at 30% of theoverall depth of the vessel.

The ideal fuel tank arrangements depend on the type ofthe vessel. For bulk carriers, one possible solution consistsin locating the fuel tanks in the topside tanks, protected bya void space. The topside tanks are adjacent compartmentsextending along most of the vessel’s length, allowing easyinstallation of continuous piping and heating systems.

A Partial Triple BottomOn tankers, some of the fuel could be carried within theengine room in tanks away from the outer shell. In someinstances, the cofferdam in front of the engine room couldalso be utilized for storing fuel.

For container vessels, one possible solution is to con-struct a ‘triple bottom’, placing the fuel tank above the wa-ter ballast tank inside the double bottom. It is also possible

to construct a partial “triple bottom” that does not extendacross the entire hold area. The tanks in the turn of the bilgeusually have recesses to provide a foundation on which toplace the containers. They can be designed to assure thecontinuity of the double hull between wing and bottom

Descriptive RequirementAccording to the descriptive requirement of the regula-

tion, fuel oil tanks must be located above B/20, or at least0.76 m from the bottom, whichever is greater, not to exceed2.0 m. This is in line with new the SOLAS (SOLAS 2009 MSC80/24/Add. 1, June 2005) requirements so as to avoid sub-jecting vessels to different minimum double bottom heightrequirements resulting from different IMO conventions.

Prevent Pollution. The calculation of the required wingtank widths or minimum distances from the outer shell ac-counts for the total fuel oil capacity. Widths range from 1 m(0.76 for tanks smaller than 500 m³ on vessels with a capac-ity below 5000 m³) to 2.0 m. Furthermore, the regulationincludes provisions to prevent pollution from oil pipes.

Probabilistic RequirementThe probabilistic approach within the regulation can

be used as an alternative to the descriptive parts of theregulation regarding double bottom heights and wing tankwidths. The alternative requirement is based on a proba-bilistic concept of non-dimensional oil outfl ow, comprisingoutfl ow calculations for side and bottom damages. Thismethod was validated by extensive analyses of vesselscomplying with the requirements of the deterministicapproach of the regulation. The mean oil outfl ow is deter-mined irrespective of whether the damage is a side or abottom damage and is combined into a non-dimensionalcomputational parameter OM.

More variety. When regarding grounding damages, theinitial grounding, the deceleration and subsequent effectsfrom currents, tide and waves are all taken into considera-tion when the oil outfl ow. A number of scientifi c researchstudies were undertaken to evaluate the particular effects.

In summary, this approach accounts for a largernumber of aspects in a more refi ned way, allowing fueltanks to be arranged more fl exibily to accommodate spe-cial needs.However, more optimization work is obviouslyrequired.

For bulk carriers, one possible solution is locatingthe fuel tanks in the top side tanks protected by avoid space (Fig. 1). For container vessels, a possiblesolution is to construct a ´Triple bottom`, to place thefuel tank above the water ballast tank in the doublebottom (Fig. 2). Figures 3 to 5 show more possiblecross-sections of a container vessel.

SHIPBUILDING. The Design must consider the newIMO regulations for fuel tank protection.

Fig. 1 Fig. 2HFO – Heavy Fuel Oil WB – Water BalastMDO – Marine Diesel Oil

Application of MARPOL Annex I Reg. 12 A:Fuel oil capacity:Total aggregate fuel capacity C >_ 600 m3

Exception: individual tank capacity < 30 m3

Small tanks aggregate capacity < 600 m3

Maximum individual tank capacity 2500 m3

Fuel oil type:Heavy fuel oil, marine diesel oil, gas oil

14 nonstop 4/2006

COVER STORY | FUEL TANK PROTECTION

DESIGN SOLUTIONS BY GERMANISCHER LLOYDtanks, placing the fuel tanks adjacent to these outer tanks.The fuel tanks will then provide the recesses necessary forcontainer stowage. The triple bottom solution also providesspace for piping and heating systems. Another possible de-sign includes a double bulkhead between the cargo holds.The in-between space can be used not only for commonpurposes, such as an access tunnel to the holds, but alsofor vertical fuel tanks limited below by a non-oil compart-ment, and above by the partial draught. The new regulationis especially important for container ships, which have thehighest fuel oil bunker capacity of all vessels.

Developments for Container ShipsTo evaluate the effects of this new regulation on containerships, the ship type most severely affected by it, GL under-took a number of studies that went beyond the scope ofdouble hull/probabilistic oil outflow determination to in-clude strength and stability analyses on vessels with rear-ranged fuel oil bunkers. In examining the resulting designs,special attention was given to quantifying and minimizingthe loss of cargo space.

Three typical designs were analyzed: a small containervessel of 1000 TEU (study provided by SDC, Ship Design& Consult), a Panamax container vessel of 4130 TEU and apost-Panamax with 8100 TEU.

All designs were modified and evaluated in terms ofstrength and stability in compliance with the relevant GLregulations and rules.

The results show that the new regulation offers sufficientdesign flexibility to minimize the economic disadvantages.For further information, please contact GL. ■ HB

For further information: Hendrik Bruhns, Deputy Head of Competence Centre,Ship Safety, Phone: +49 40 36149-635, E-Mail: hendrik.bruhns@gl-group.com

Increasing resistance of fuel oil tanks against collosionand grounding damage – the IMO draft regulation defi nestwo alternative approaches that provide comparable levelsof protection: the deterministic requirement and theprobabilistic requirement.

GL studies show that a fl exible arrangement of doubleskin sections should minimize the economic consequencesof the increased space requirement which affects containerships in particular. In the example, the advantage is 70 TEUwhen compared to the deterministic approach.

DETERMINISTIC DESIGN CONTAINER VESSELPOST-PANMAX tank vol C 98% m3 container loss 70 TEUin cargo hold

HFO – Heavy fuel oil

PROBABILISTIC DESIGN CONTAINER VESSELPOST-PANMAX tank vol C 98% m3 container loss 0 TEU

WB – Water balastMDO – Marine diesel oilPROBABILISTIC REQUIREMENT. The factor used to account for the

minimum oil outfl ow in the event of bottom damage incorporatesthe results of various relevant studies and model tests.

Fig. 3 Fig. 4 Fig. 5

15nonstop 4/2006

FUEL TANK PROTECTION | COVER STORY

SHANGHAI.A single-hull tanker under construction.

T he European Maritime Safety Agency EMSA has movedits headquarters from Brussels to Lisbon. The inaugu-ration of its interim new headquarters near the EXPO

site on 14 September 2006 was attended by high rankingofficials and prominent representatives of the Europeanmaritime community, among them the Portuguese PrimeMinister, the President of the EU Commission and the Sec-retary General of IMO. The Agency took up its work in 2003and plays a central role in the EU maritime safety network.For “nonstop”, Christoph Hinz had the opportunity to talkto Willem de Ruiter, Executive Director of EMSA.nonstop: Your office commands a spectacular view acrossthe river Tejo and the 12 km long Vasco-da-Gama bridge.How does it feel to work in such surroundings?Willem de Ruiter: Lisbon is a very appropriate locationfor EMSA. Portugal as a country with a great maritimetradition borders the Atlantic and the approaches of theMediterranean Sea and is exposed to many of the prob-lems which EMSA tries to tackle. Unfortunately, my workschedule doesn’t leave me much time to look out of thewindow!

nonstop: What is EMSA’s role among the national adminis-trations, the EU Commission and the international organi-zations responsible for maritime safety?de Ruiter: EMSA was founded in the wake of serious ferryaccidents such as Herald of Free Enterprise, the Estonia,Express Samina in the nineties and after the oil tanker di-sasters Erika (1991) and Prestige (2002). European leadersconcluded that a determined effort had to be made to im-prove the safety of shipping in European waters. Nationalmeasures alone were not enough. A European dimensionhad to be added to effectively protect the thousands ofkilometres of coastline and over 600 major ports of the Eu-ropean countries.nonstop: The EU has adopted a large number of regulationson maritime safety which are being implemented by themember states. Which added value can EMSA provide?de Ruiter: The prime responsibility for maritime safety andpollution prevention remains with the member states. Youmay call EMSA the “technical arm” of the EU Commission.It assists the Commission in monitoring the implementa-tion of the EU maritime legislation by the member states.

EMSA aims at safer and cleaner shipping in the European Union.An interview with the Executive Director, Dutchman Willem de Ruiter

“Safer Than in the Past”

REMOVAL.EMSA at itsinterim new

headquartersin Lisbon.

Phot

os: E

MSA

16 nonstop 4/2006

MARITIME SERVICES | EMSA

It gives technical advice for updating the legislation. Inaddition, it facilitates technical operation between mem-ber states and the Commission. Thirdly, after the sinkingof the tanker Prestige, it was decided to give EMSA an op-erational task in the field of pollution response, which iscomplementary to the response mechanisms of the mem-ber states.nonstop: How does EMSA monitor the implementation ofEU maritime legislation and what are the priorities?de Ruiter: At present the Agency is involved in differenttypes of assessments:Firstly, we assess maritime administrations regarding theirobligations as flag states and as port states. One priority isPort State Control. Member states are required to inspectat least 25% of the ships which enter their ports. EMSAcontrollers ensure that Port State Control officers through-out the EU apply the same methods. EMSA also publishesthe list of vessels that are banned from European ports be-cause of grave deficiencies.

Secondly, we assess classification societies.Thirdly, we assess educational systems in third countries,

verifying compliance with the STCW convention rules fortraining of seafarers. Our motive: 75% of seafarers on EUregistered ships originate from non-EU countries and aretrained in non-EU schools. Nationals of 40 non-EU coun -t ries (46.5% from the Philippines alone) are employed onEU flagged ships. EMSA experts carry out an assessment ofthe education system in these countries once every 5 years.Here you have a clear case of added value: EMSA checksthe quality of nautical colleges in third countries for the

benefit of all member states instead of each of them doingit individually.

Fourthly, we assess security organizations, companiesand ships regarding compliance with the ISPS Code.nonstop: How does all this affect the classification socie-ties?de Ruiter: The classification societies are one of the mostimportant parts of the maritime safety chain. Most mem-ber states have delegated their duties of controlling theconstruction and maintenance of ships to classificationsocieties recognized under EU law. Of more than 50 suchorganizations worldwide only 12 are recognized by the EU.These, however, survey and certify more than 90% of theworld’s tonnage.

In order to ensure compliance with the quality stan-dards laid down in Directive 94/57/DC each of the EU rec-ognized classification societies is assessed once every twoyears. The agency’s assessors visit the head office, regionaloffices, individual ships and ship-building sites.nonstop: EMSA has concluded standby availability contractsfor oil recovery vessels. Does the agency take on operativetasks in this field and will it broaden its assistance relatingto other pollutants?de Ruiter: The Prestige disaster has clearly shown that thereis not enough pollution response capacity to deal with ma-jor oil spills in European waters. For this reason EMSA wasrequested to set up a network of vessels, equipment andother resources to help member states to deal with oil pol-lution from ships. The Baltic Sea, the Atlantic coast and thewestern approaches to the Channel and the Mediterra-

“It is estimated that around 80% of the accidents at sea occur as a result of human error.” Willem de Ruiter

DIRECTOR. Before join-ing EMSA, Willem deRuiter was responsiblefor maritime safety inthe EU Commission.

17nonstop 4/2006

EMSA | MARITIME SERVICES

nean were identified as sensitive areas for this purpose.Standby contracts have been concluded with private com-panies which will make their vessels – normally employedin commercial trade, but equipped with oil recovery andstorage systems – available at short notice. This spill re-sponse capacity is available to coastal states on requestand does not replace the prime responsi-bility of member states for fighting oil pol-lution. The Agency is at present studyingwhether the operational assistance canbe extended to other pollutants like lightoil and other chemicals. This is a complexexercise in view of the vast number ofchemicals transported and their differentproperties.nonstop: What is the current state of mari-time safety and pollution prevention inEuropean waters? Have the Maritime Safe-ty Packages Erika I and II and the controlsby EMSA led to tangible improvements?de Ruiter: It is too early to judge the overallimpact of EMSA’s activities. But there is apositive trend. EU waters are now gener-ally safer than in the past. Ships inspectedby EU-recognized organizations are do-ing well in Port State Control statistics.They are rarely detained for class relateddeficiencies.

The safety situation in the EuropeanUnion will be further improved when theIT-system SafeSeaNet becomes fully operational. This willharmonize the maritime data exchange between memberstates and enable them to monitor the more than 20,000ships operating in European waters at any given time.nonstop: Where does EMSA see the major risks for maritimesafety and clean seas? Is the technical quality of the shipsor the human factor the crucial point?de Ruiter: It is estimated that around 80% of the accidentsat sea occur as a result of human error. But it is difficultto draw general conclusions from accidents because acci-dent investigation in European countries follows differentmethods and results are not comparable.

This is why EMSA argues in favour of an EU marine ac-

cident database which would contain data supplied bythe member states in a common format. This would be animportant source of accident information in Europe andwould assist in future decisions on maritime safety.

Apart from this, a cause of concern is the increasingoil tanker traffic in enclosed waters like the Baltic and the

Black Sea. The worldwide shipbuildingboom also begs the question whether highoutput of newbuildings and quality will gohand in hand.nonstop: How does EMSA organize its co-operation with IMO in London in order tomaintain IMO’s position as a global regula-tor of shipping?de Ruiter: Merchant shipping is internation-al and needs global standards. EMSA repre-sents the EU Commission in IMO’s techni-cal work. It helps the Commission and themember states to prepare European posi-tions and initiatives for IMO’s regulatoryframework.nonstop: What are the priorities for EMSA’sfuture work?de Ruiter: The future agenda will be influ-enced by the Third Maritime Safety Pack-age which is being discussed by the Eu-ropean Parliament and by the Council ofMinisters. It deals with many issues withwhich EMSA concerns itself: flagstate re-sponsibility, Port State Control, classifica-

tion societies, traffic monitoring, accident investigation,liability. It remains to be seen which additional tasks forEMSA will flow from decisions about this package.

Other priorities include the conclusions of additionalcontracts for standby oil recovery vessels and setting up asatellite surveillance system to monitor large sea areas todetect illegal discharges and accidental oil spills.nonstop: And when will EMSA move into its permanentpurpose-built headquarters in Lisbon?de Ruiter: We hope to be able to open our new office at thewaterfront in the historical centre of Lisbon towards theend of 2007.nonstop: Mr de Ruiter, thank you very much! ■ CH

EMSA: THE SAFETY EXPERTS

Headquartered in Lisbon,the European MaritimeSafety Agency (EMSA) isthe technical and operativebody of the European Uniondedicated to promotingshipping safety and pollu-tion prevention in Europeanwaters.

The beginnings. Two oiltanker disasters, “Erika” offthe French coast in 1999,and “Prestige” near Spain in2002, severely affected theinhabitants of the coastal ar-eas and the environment. In

response, several EU institu-tions launched initiatives toenhance safety. The result:the EU established EMSAwhich began its work in 2003.

The issue. The EuropeanUnion’s 25 member coun-tries operate more than 600important seaports. Roughly90% of the EU’s imports andexports, and about one-thirdof its internal trade volumepass through these ports. Anincreasing number of theships sailing on Europeanwaters are oil tankers.

The objectives. EMSAadvises the EU Commissionand the member countrieson all issues surroundingmaritime safety. It alsomonitors the implementa-tion of, and adherence to,the respective EU laws andregulations by the membercountries and organizations.Furthermore EMSA auditsport authorities, classifi ca-tion societies and trainingfacilities, and assists theEU member countries incoping with oil spills.

“A cause of concern is the increasing oil tanker traffi c in enclosed waters such as the Baltic Sea.”Willem de Ruiter

HEADQUARTERS.From Lisbon

EMSA fi ghts forenvironmentalprotection and

safety.

Phot

o: E

MSA

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MARITIME SERVICES | EMSA

ASalmon from Alaska, lamb from New Zealand, bana-nas from Honduras: the food on dining tables in Ger-many and elsewhere has often travelled thousands of

nautical miles. According to statistics from Drewry Ship-ping Consultants, 57.1 million tons of refrigerated cargowere shipped across the seven seas in 2005 – more thantwice much as 25 years ago.

The bulk of perishable goods is now transported in re-frigerated containers – which poses a big challenge for de-signers and shipbuilders alike: if the refrigeration unitsin the containers are to work efficiently, cool air must bepumped into, in particular, the ship’s hold and the warmair pumped out.

Germanischer Lloyd’s new simulation system enablesship designers and shipyards to construct effective venti-lation systems for any ship type. GL Vent simulates differ-ent operating, load distribution and temperature situations.The software provides the necessary data for the installa-tion of effective and economical ventilation systems andanalyzes the weaknesses of fitted systems.

Enormous Cost-Saving PotentialDemand is growing. Although around half of all bananasare still being transported on reefer vessels, hardly anynew vessels have been built for years, and the trend to-wards refrigerated containers is stronger than ever before.The annual transport capacities in this sector are now ris-ing by 14% on average, which is even faster than the overallmarket for refrigerated cargo. Ten years ago, capacity was267,000 TEU; this figure has now reached 746,000 TEU.Currently there are 2200 vessels worldwide that transport

refrigerated containers. The largest of these, the ‘MonteCervantes’ owned by the shipping company Hamburg-Süd,has a total loading capacity of 5100 TEU, of which 2450TEU can be used for refrigerated containers.

There are still two different container types in operation:integrated containers with an inbuilt refrigeration unit, andporthole containers without any additional refrigeration.However, most shipowners have gone over to using inte-grated containers. In 2002, the proportion of porthole typeson the world market was less than five per cent.

As for container loading capacities, the trend is towardsa larger volume inside the container. Traditional 40-footstandard containers with a height of 8’ 6” are increasing-ly being replaced by high-cube containers (height: 9’ 6”).Nonetheless, 20-foot containers are still just as importantas before. Heavy reefer cargo, such as meat and fish, wouldsoon exceed the maximum weight of 30 tons if stuffed inlarger containers.

As the number, size and weight of refrigerated contain-ers grow, they are increasingly being stowed in the ship’shold rather than on deck. To make sure there is sufficientcooling, the ambient air temperature may not exceed 45 de-grees centigrade. A 40-foot container requires 4,500 cubicmetres of air per hour, and a 20-foot container needs 3,100cubic metres. This is because, depending on the goods androom climate, a stand-alone 40-foot container producesbetween 7 and 15 kW of heat. These values increase evenmore depending on how many boxes are in the hold.

GL calculations prove the economic importance of so-phisticated and optimized ventilation systems: if there are700 TEU in the ship’s hold and the ambient air temperaturedrops by one degree, the energy consumption of refriger-ated containers with frozen cargo is reduced by 3.8 per centand that of containers holding frozen fruit by 2.1 per cent.According to these calculations, the ship operators save ap-prox. EUR 50,000 per year in the operation of their venti-lation systems – and salmon, lamb and the rest are sure toreach their destinations in perfect condition. ■ JH

For further Information: Hanspeter Raschle, Piping Systems/Tanker,Phone: +49 40-361 495 69, E-Mail: hanspeter.raschle@gl-group.com

Cool TransportThe shipping of perishable goods in refrigerated containers is booming. Sophisticatedrefrigeration and ventilation systems inside the vessels help to reduce operating costs

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CONTAINER. Therefrigerating set needs asuffi cient ventilation.

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GL VENT | MARITIME SERVICES

sponse Service of Germanischer Lloyd, and his team are oncall around the clock. Henning Schier describes a typicalemergency scenario: “ERS alarm is triggered by telephone,using a dedicated phone number. The emergency call isfirst received by the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centreof the German Maritime Rescue Service (GMRS) in Bremen.The GMRS immediately notifies our ERS team. Dedicatedemergency telephone, fax, telex and e-mail connectionsensure smooth communication between the ship and GL.”

The emergency service relies on acomputational model containing com-prehensive technical specifications of therespective ship. Germanischer Lloyd usesHECSALV, a specialized Salvage Software.If the troubled ship has been classified byGL, existing model data can be used. ButKray emphasizes: “A ship doesn’t have tohave been classed by us in order to be eli-gible for ERS certification.”

In an emergency, the ERS experts usetheir computers to simulate the accidentand obtain a detailed insight into the cur-rent state of the ship. Following a thor-ough analysis of the situation, they make

recommendations for a possible rescue sce-nario. “We leverage the full range of expertise accumulatedin our organization,” says Kray. The Emergency ResponseService sets Germanischer Lloyd far apart from otherclassification societies and the service they offer.

All decisions about action to be taken on the damagedvessel are ultimately the ship-owner’s responsibility. “Weonly can give a recommendation,” explains ERS managerHenning Schier. “Our expert advice is usually accepted,and it has always proved to be correct in past emergen-cies. Our track record makes Germanischer Lloyd look good.

SUCCESS STORY. „Histria Perla“is already the 500th

ERS certifi ed ship.

500th ship registered: The powerful Emergency Response Service

ensures effi cient handling of sea damages

Acontainer vessel runs aground on a mud bank. Acruise ship scrapes a reef. A bulk carrier and a con-tainer ship jam into each other. A fire breaks out in

a cargo hold. The many different scenarios the Emergen-cy Response Service (ERS) of Germanischer Lloyd has tohandle are often hazardous for both the seamen involvedand the environment. The emergency service for ships introuble has been operating since 1993 – and with greatsuccess. The 500th vessel joins ERS in November 2006.

The ship it was issued for is “HistriaPerla”, a Romanian chemical tanker witha tonnage of 40,471 dwt. Built in 2005 byRomanian shipbuilder Constantza Ship-yard, the vessel was classed by Germa-nischer Lloyd. On 8 November, NicolaeBerechet, Technical Director of HistriaShipmanagement, received the ERS cer-tificate by Germanischer Lloyd.

Effi cient Emergency ManagementThe advantages of an emergency re-sponse system are obvious. “What makesour services attractive for ship-ownersis the fact that an efficient emergencymanagement can save them substantialamounts of money on damages that would otherwise es-calate, costing them hundreds of millions of euros,” ex-plains Norbert Kray, head of Germanischer Lloyd’s Techni-cal Support Department. Customers pay only a three-digitsum per ship annually for access to the emergency serviceof Germanischer Lloyd. The service comprises competentdamage analysis and recovery recommendations for seadamages. “Our rapid response not only saves costs but alsoreduces environmental damages considerably,” Kray says.Henning Schier, general manager of the Emergency Re-

SOS at 0.30 a.m.

20 nonstop 4/2006

MARITIME SERVICES | ERS

EMERGENCY RESPONSE SERVICE: POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT

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Following the Exxon Valdez oil spill offAlaska, the U.S. government passed legisla-tion in 1993 requiring oil tankers to contact anemergency service in the event of sea damage.In 2004, INTERTANKO made it a requirementfor member tanker operators to subscribe toan emergency response system for their ships.As of January 2007 MARPOL will require aninternational emergency service for tankersabove 5,000 dwt. The Emergency ResponseService of Germanischer Lloyd offers compre-hensive coverage, including the preparation ofVessel Response Plans for non-tanker vesselsas required by the United States Coast Guard.

Fortunately, the emergency service was called on only seventimes in the past two years. And for all these emergencies, wehad the right solutions,” says Schier.

Calculations Make the DifferenceSchier remembers the most recent accident quite vividly.On 29 January 2006, tanker “Kim Jacob”, fully loaded with145,000 tons of oil, ran aground off the shores of Venezue-la. The emergency call was received at one o’clock in themorning. “Within an hour, three colleagues were at head-quarters and began to work out a lightering plan immedi-ately,” Schier recalls. For days, the GL experts were in con-stant contact with the ship’s captain and its owner, Ernst

Jacob Co. of Flensburg, Germany. The ERS team calculatedthat the vessel would have to be lightered by 14,000 tons toget it afloat. In addition, the ERS team supplied the salvag-ing company with important data about the damaged ves-sel. By bringing in a chartered oil tanker, a portion of thecargo could finally be transferred.

“The ship was recovered without any major damage,”Schi-er reports. On 6 February, the “Kim Jacob” was freeagain, a success the ERS had contributed to considerably.The maritime press hardly took any notice of the large-scale rescue operation. But customers know what the ERSteam can do. Marcus Schwaeppe, managing director of ship-owner Ernst Jacob, confirms: “The Emergency Response

More vessels, less calls

21nonstop 4/2006

ERS | MARITIME SERVICES

INTERVIEW

nonstop: The 500th ERS certifi catewas issued recently. The EmergencyResponse Service was established 13years ago. What have you learned dur-ing these years?Henning Schier: Each emergency isdifferent. There are no general rules.What really matters is that there are atleast three people available for emer-gencies at any given time so we areable to address virtually any inquirypresented to us. We are optimized forstability and resilience. But inquiries of-ten take an unexpected turn. To give anexample, in December 2005 there was afi re on board a container ship, and wehad to fi nd out how various chemicalspositioned in the vicinity of the fi rewould react to water. By collaboratingwith the Hamburg fi re department, we

were able to provide specifi c recom-mendations to the ship`s crew.nonstop: How do you prepare for emer-gencies?Schier: Any ERS deployment requiresthat all necessary data about the shiphave been incorporated in our math-ematical model. We rehearse once ortwice a month. These drills are initi-ated by ship-owners mostly withoutnotice. This way, ship-owners can testemergency scenarios to see how wellthey cooperate with us. The drills forceour team to be on guard constantly. Asa consequence, we are always ready.Norbert Kray: And that includes readi-ness for a worst-case scenario, aswell. For us, that would mean twoGL-classed ships are involved in anaccident at the same time. And wehave the resources to deal with sucha situation, as well. We wouldn’t haveany problems operating two teamsconcurrently.nonstop: How do you cooperate withship-owners, captains, tugboat andrecovery teams?Kray: We maintain excellentrelationships with national andinternational recovery companies.One of the most important factorsfor our work is the quality of

communication. We need an accurate,detailed description of the damages.Schier: Problems occur when we havediffi culties communicating. Sometimesa fax is illegible or there are misunder-standings because people get nervous.That is understandable during sea dam-age. The more important it is that wekeep our calm and our eyes on the bigpicture.nonstop: The motto of GermanischerLloyd is “24/7”…Kray: At ERS, we live up to that motto. Ourteam is available day and night, and in anemergency, everybody can be at head-quarters within an hour.Quality and a strong commitment to ourmission are top priorities for us. GL cus-tomers expect superior performance. Weare well aware of our responsibility.

Service of GL and the calculations they made when the‘Kim Jacob’ had stranded gave us every reason to be satisfi ed.”The good reputation of GL’s Emergency Response Service isa fact known to many. The supplementary ERS class labelis more in demand than ever before. “As of 1 January 2007,

MARPOL requires all oil tankers above 5,000 dwt to subscribeto an emergency response system,” Schier explains the highnumber of requests. “Many tankers have had to upgrade atshort notice. We have profi tted from that.”

Nearly 50 shipowners are currently subscribers of GL’sEmergency Response Service. 60 per cent of all ERS certifi-cates issued to date have been for container ships, 24 percent for tankers, and 16 per cent for other types of vesselssuch as bulk carriers, ferries or luxury yachts. “The ERS isavailable for marine ships, as well,” Norbert Kray empha-sizes. “Furthermore, we are working on accelerating thedata exchange between ships and emergency headquar-ters,” Schier adds. “The electronic process saves a full hour,helping to mitigate further risks.”

Speeding up and improving its emergency service anddelivering help even faster continue to be goals for Germa-nischer Lloyd. This necessitates exchanging informationwith customers continuously, not only in an emergency. “Tothat end, we are cooperating with the GL Academy to setup a training programme to teach customers how to han-dle emergencies, and to practise working with the ERS.”Courses are to begin in the autumn of 2007. ■ AG

For further Information: Norbert Kray, Head of Department, Technical Support,Phone: +49 40 36149-203, E-Mail: norbert.kray@gl-group.comHenning Schier, ERS-Emergency Response Service,Phone: +49 40 36149-269, E-Mail: henning.schier@gl-group.com

“GL customers expect superior performance”

NorbertKray,TechnicalSupport(BCS)

BACKGROUND: 100 YEARS OF “SOS”

HenningSchier,EmergencyResponseService

“S-O-S” – this distress call has saved the lives of count-less seamen and passengers. One hundred years ago, on3 October 1906, the “three dots – three dashes – three dots”signal began its career. At the fi rst International Radiotele-graphic Conference in Berlin, 139 representatives from 29countries agreed to introduce the S-O-S Morse code distresscall. Their goal was to establish an unmistakable code thatcould be used to alert radio stations around the world aboutships in distress.

Today, Morse code is no longer used in shipping. Modernships are equipped with a satellite-based emergency radiosystem. The audio distress call used today is “Mayday”,derived from the French phrase “m’aidez”, meaning “helpme”. Distress-at-sea calls are handled world-wide by Mari-time Rescue Coordination Centres (MRCC), including theGerman Maritime Rescue Service (GMRS) in Bremen, whichhandled 1,700 emergency deployments in 2005 and closelycooperates with GL’s ERS team.

22 nonstop 4/2006

MARITIME SERVICES | ERS

23nonstop 04/2006

SHIPLIFTING | MARITIME SERVICES

Germanischer Lloyd investigated fluid motions caused by precalculated longitudinal (surge) and transverse (sway) motions of the lifting basin of the

ship lift facility at China’s Three Georges Project. The in-vestigation served to ensure the reliability and safety of this facility when earthquakes occur. Both harmonic and inharmonic motions of the lifting basin as well as the cor-responding accelerations, obtained from finite element structural computations carried out by Krebs und Kiefer International, represented earthquake events in China’s Three Georges area.

The precalculated motions of the ship lift chamber may lead to water spilling over the chamber’s sides and cause high structural loads acting on the chamber’s walls and bottom, especially if the period of the water’s motion in-side the partially filled chamber is close to the water’s nat-ural period. Analytical methods are unsuitable to analyze this highly nonlinear phenomenon, called sloshing. There-fore, it was necessary to employ an advanced numerical technique to obtain accurate predictions of these sloshing-induced fluid motions and loads.

Elaborate AnalysisThe technique employed is based on simulating the two-phase flow by solving the Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes equations (RANSE), using the finite-volume code Com-et. This kind of code, implementing an interface-captur-ing technique of the volume-of-fluid type, is the obvi-ous choice to compute complex free-surface shapes with breaking waves, sprays, and air trapping, phenomena that should be considered to predict hydrodynamic pressures. The conservation equations for mass and momentum in their integral form serve as the starting point. The solution domain is subdivided into a finite number of control vol-umes that may be of arbitrary shape. The integrals are nu-merically approximated using the midpoint rule. The mass flux through the cell face is taken from the previous itera-tion, following a simple Picard iteration approach.

The flow field inside the ship lift chamber was comput-ed as a transient process. The fluid domain was idealized by a volume grid comprising about forty thousands cells for the two-dimensional discretizations and about one mil-lion cells for three-dimensional dicretizations. On the wall surfaces a no-slip condition was enforced on fluid veloci-ties and on the turbulent kinetic energy. The time step size was chosen such that the Courant number is unity on aver-

age. The impulse equa-tions were discretized using 90 percent cen-tral differences and 10 percent upwind differ-ences. The entire flow field was initialized by the hydrostatic pres-sure and zero velocity. At the ship lift cham-ber walls, no-slip con-ditions were enforced on fluid velocities and on the turbulent kinetic energy. Cham-ber motion was taken into account in two ways, namely, by moving the grid and by adding a variable body force due to cham-ber acceleration. Both methods gave nearly the same solution. For each time step up to ten

outer iterations were needed.Various scenarios were investigated for different posi-

tions of the chamber in the lifting installation, whereby the chamber was subjected to harmonic as well as inharmonic motions. Results comprised time histories of water eleva-tion inside the chamber, forces and moments acting on the chamber’s sides and bottom, and computer animations of the water motion inside the chamber.

In general, the chamber’s sway motions were found to be more critical than the surge motions, resulting in high-er wave elevations in the chamber and larger loads on the cross walls and the bottom. Furthermore, harmonic mo-tions caused higher wave elevations to occur than inhar-monic motions. Consequently, harmonic motions tended to give rise to the largest wave-induced loads. The inhar-monic sway motions did not cause the maximum water el-evation to exceed the height of the chamber’s longitudinal and side walls. ■ OEM

For further information: Dr Ould El Moctar, Head of Department, Fluid Dynamics, Phone: +49 40 36149-1552, E-Mail: ould.el-moctar@gl-group.com

What can earthquakes do to

ship lift chambers?

Germanischer Lloyd provides

an answer

Fluids in Motion

Simulation. The ship hoist at the dam.

Time Series. Normalized water level in the caisson.

Lock. A ship waiting to be hoisted.

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GL Pegasus: the new tool makes work easier for thickness measurement fi rms and shipowners – it saves time and money

Checking Steel in Style

The setting was more than appropriate. At the lead-ing international Hamburg trade fair “Shipbuilding, Machinery and Marine Technology (SMM)”, Germa-

nischer Lloyd premiered its new tool for simplifying the task of thickness measurement: GL Pegasus. “Thickness measurement firms, shipping companies and the classi-fication society alike stand to profit,” Till Braun, Head of Competence Centre Sales Management, explained at the product presentation. “Today, you have to react ever faster in all areas of the industry,” says Braun. GL Pegasus pro-vides the rapid response for thickness measurement.

Thickness measurements are essential for monitoring the signs of wear and tear, corrosion and material damage in the world of shipping. Up to now, this has been a time-consuming process. Authorized contractors take the mea-surements and perform the subsequent analysis primarily by manual means. Depending on the ship size and age, it can take up to four weeks for the investigation to progress from the first expert appraisal on site to the print-out of the measurement report. “At present, this is still done with-out appreciable electronic support,” says David Jaramillo, Senior Project Engineer and head of the Pegasus project. As early as the eighties, experts looked for a solution to

the problem – yet without arriving at a satisfactory answer. “Compiling the final report, in particular, takes a lot of time,” says Jaramillo. With the aid of GL Pegasus, however, a re-port can be generated within only a few hours – saving both time and money.

Clear-cut ProcedureThe sequence of the working steps is simple. Before GL Pegasus can be applied, a three-dimensional computer model of the hull structure must first be produced. “This step can take several weeks, but is necessary only once in the entire life-cycle of a ship,” David Jaramillo empha-sizes. Each component of the ship is captured both in tabular form and visually in the model. In this way, tables and graphics correspond at all times, doing away with du-plicated entry of the data. In fact, all that is then needed with GL Pegasus is to have the values measured by a team of inspectors on the ship. The measurement task itself remains unchanged. Once the measurements have been completed, the ultrasonic measuring device is connected to the computer, and GL Pegasus automatically allocates the data records to the ship model and hence also to the tables. Possible vulnerabilities, e.g. corrosion damage, are

24 nonstop 4/2006

MARITIME SERVICES | GL PEGASUS

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highlighted in colour to indicate their degree of urgency. In addition, there is also the possibility of linking a par-ticular measurement point to certain documents, such as photos, texts or voice recordings.

“The outstanding feature of the new software is its fast and automatic generation of the final report in the form prescribed by the International Association of Classifi-cation Societies (IACS),” David Jaramillo points out. The shipping company then has direct worldwide access to this written report and to the updated 3D model via the GL In-ternet platform “fleet online”. Access for the shipowner is view-only – for the time being. In future, it will be possi-ble for customers to use the program to make their own entries. “This will be implemented within one year at the latest,” is the forecast by Dr Christian Cabos, Head of De-partment CAE Development, who finds the new product extremely promising. “The response from our cooperation partners during the development phase was thoroughly positive.” On request, various shipping companies made their ships available for tests, so that selected thickness measurement firms could try out GL Pegasus for its suit-ability in everyday operation.

Huge Time SavingsHermann Heitkämper, hull quality inspector at N&P Maritime und Industrietechnik GmbH, was one of the

“test drivers” and is delighted with the program: “I was pleasantly surprised to see how well, and above all how quickly, the whole thing worked. The program certainly makes the task easier and is therefore also a significant im-provement for our customers.” Particularly for the thick-ness measurement of large vessels, such as oil tankers or

bulkers, Heitkämper expects huge savings in time. “The measurements are carried out while the ship is in dry dock. However, we often only have the results when the ship has long since departed.” Because this process can be reduced to only one day with GL Pegasus,any repairs which may be nec-essary can be planned better and defects can possibly be remedied during the dock pe-riod. Heitkämper: “As a result,

we have a lower workload, and the customer saves on the costs.” N&P will certainly be using the program in future.

This appreciation from the industry is, of course, most welcome at Germanischer Lloyd, particularly as the GL experts worked on the development of GL Pegasus for more than three years. The data model for the program was produced within the scope of the EU research project CAS (Condition Assessment of aging ships for real-time Structural maintenance decision), in which various part-ners from maritime industry and academia, e.g. a leading thickness measurement firm, are participating. “GL contrib-uted a good deal of preparatory work to the CAS project,” explains David Jaramillo. The cooperation proved to be of great mutual benefit, because the data model from the CAS project is now integrated into the tool developed by Germanischer Lloyd. “The big advantage here is that it is a neutral model, which means that the program is also well suited to ships not classed by GL,” says Jaramillo.

Now that GL Pegasus is ready for the market, the CAE Development team expects keen interest from shipping companies and thickness measurement firms. “The first courses will be held as soon as we receive specific enquir-ies,” says team leader Christian Cabos. At present, 350 thickness measurement firms are approved by Germa-nischer Lloyd for the execution of thickness measurements on board ships and maritime installations. “We have con-tacted many of these firms, and of course numerous ship-ping companies, and are now looking forward to a good re-sponse,” says Cabos. Customers will soon be given the op-portunity of informing themselves in greater detail about GL Pegasus at the internal forums held by Germanischer Lloyd. ■ AG

For further information: David Jaramillo, Senior Project Engineer Hotline: +49 40 36149-4900, E-Mail: glpegasus@gl-group.com

REPORTING. To date, it was a highly manual process of up to 30 days, without delivering an electronic assessment report.

ULTRASOUND. In the test procedure nothing changes also with employment of the new software.

COMPUTER. Multiple input of data becomes redundant.

GL INSPECTORS. Carefully

recordingevery detail.

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GL PEGASUS | MARITIME SERVICES

Union Transport’s history began – what else would youexpect of a Swiss founder – with a consignment of200 tons of sugar for Switzerland’s chocolate makers.

It was shipped from Silvertown in England via Antwerpto Basel. On August 14, 1946, the Swiss shipbroker HansSchenkel and his British partner Bill Roper founded UnionTransport (London) Ltd with the help of Schenkel’s formeremployer, Union Transport AG in Basel.

The company moved to its new premises in London’sCannon Street. Schenkel was soon able to put his extensivecompetencies in transporting cargo from the UK to Switzer-land into practice. The goods were shipped from Silvertownto Rotterdam or Antwerp and then transported to the finalconsignee by barge. The sugar consignments became largerand larger. A new line of business, transporting wood to the

UK, offered new opportunities. In the early 1960s, however,various wood importers went bankrupt, leading to a finan-cial crisis – but the company managed to overcome thisthanks to Schenkel’s reputation and excellent contacts.

The New ManThe arrival of a young man from Switzerland was to havefar-reaching consequences for the company’s future devel-opment and objectives. After training with SchweizerischeAllgemeine Rhein Transportgesellschaft, a barge company,and achieving excellent results in his exams, Max Heini-mann came on London in 1961 on a recommendation.Schenkel was quick to notice his young employee’s ambi-tion and ability. Heinimann moved on to Paris after a year,and then to Munich, Düsseldorf and Rotterdam. He want-

From Basel to BromleyLong before the expression “short sea shipping” was coined, Union Transport was inbusiness in this sector. After 60 years of operations in this fi eld, the company has nowbecome a household name in the industry. A success story

Combined transport at sea and on inlandwaterways is a growing market. UnionTransport’s fl eet now consists of 20 vessels.Eight of these are the company’s own, sixare on time charter, two are leased and fourare under its commercial management.

FOCUS. Union Transport chief Heinimann always keeps an eye on his fl eet.

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UNION TRANSPORT – THE FLEET

MARITIME DIENSTE | UNION TRANSPORT

BRITISH COMMITTEE

Not all the customers came into contact withGermanischer Lloyd while they were still at school.During a class trip, young Max Heinimann fromSwitzerland noticed that most of the inland vesselsin the port of Basel were classifi ed by GL. Thismust have been signifi cant. Later, as an aspiringshipbroker, he implicitly trusted GermanischerLloyd’s technical professionalism. Most of UnionTransport’s chartered ships were German coastalvessels with German owners and German crews.And they were all classifi ed by Germanischer Lloyd.The vessels chartered on a time charter basis, too,were all classifi ed by GL.

The mixture. In 1986 Heinimann was asked bythe GL board member Helm whether he wantedto become a member of the British Committee. “Iam a busy man,” was the reply. Helm had to do alot of convincing to tempt him to take part in theannual committee meetings and specialist lecturesand debates. It’s the committee’s composition thatmakes it interesting, says Heinimann: “The mixtureof shipowners, shipbrokers, insurance agents,shipyard directors and representatives of banksand investment companies, as well as representa-tives of the fl ag states and other maritime institu-tions, mean that you’re bound to learn somethingnew at every committee meeting.” Max Heinimannwas formally admitted at the annual meeting of theBritish Committee on July 18, 1986 and has been anactive member ever since.

The development. Ten years later, he wasasked to take over as the chairman of the commit-tee. How does Max Heinimann see the develop-ment of his classifi cation institution? “Over thepast few years, Germanischer Lloyd has increasedits activities and become more market-oriented.Today we talk ‘business’. We offer a wider rangeof services, customer wishes are put into practicemore quickly, and our readiness to innovate isimpressive. The important things are still reliabilityand quality!”

“I am a busy man”

ed to gather more experience in agency business. In 1963he returned to London, and two years later he took overfrom Hans Schenkel as Managing Director. In 1967 he alsobecame the majority partner.

The late 1960s and early 1970s were characterized bycontinual service optimization. Instead of volume-basedchartering, for example, the company began to charterships for specific periods (time charter). This, in turn, re-quired an adequate orders situation for the ships’ capacityto be utilized. In this way, Union Transport developed intomore of a shipping company.

From Charterer to OwnerIn 1973, the company bought its first vessel. It chose theGerman coastal vessel Claus Jürgens: twelve years old, GL-classed and at a price of 50,000 pounds. Its new name was

“Union Star”. The superfluous superstructure was removed,and the mast and funnel were fitted with a tilt mechanismso that the ship could pass under bridges when negotiat-ing rivers. In contrast to purely coastal vessels, the “UnionStar” was also seaworthy – enabling the company to offer aservice that its competitors could not provide: shipmentsfrom European inland ports to the UK without any time-consuming stops along the way in Rotterdam or Antwerp.Union Transport’s customers appreciated this competitiveadvantage and the company’s proverbial reliability. In 1974it added the “Union Sun”, “Union Moon” and “Union Venus”to its fleet. Just three years later, Union Transport was ableto deploy its first newbuildings. The “Union Gem” trans-ported a thousand tons of sugar on its maiden voyage fromLondon to Basel – a quantity previously unthinkable.

The ships became bigger – making the question as towhether the logistics services could still be performed ef-ficiently more pressing. The hydraulically-powered liftingand lowering system for the wheelhouse had not yet beeninvented. So the company simply removed the wheelhouseroof to enable continued sailings to European inland ports.In view of fluctuating water levels, this structural alterationmade it possible to extend the operating period of the Un-ion Transport fleet.

Apart from transporting cargo in bulk at sea, UnionTransport established itself as a reliable carrier for theinternational oil industry and in the transportation ofheavy goods. For more than fifteen years it transportedmachines and equipment for McDermott, an oil compa-ny based in New Orleans. One of it biggest projects wasto handle the logistics for setting up the oil fields in thePersian Gulf. Pipeline parts and cement were shippedfrom Japan to the Middle East in consignments of up to30,000 tons. McDermott, and therefore also Union Trans-port, were likewise involved in equipping the oil fields

TRADITION.Loadingand dis-chargingport indica-tors for thedeploymentchart.

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UNION TRANSPORT | MARITIME SERVICES

BACKGROUND

in the North Sea. The company was also used by other customers from the oil industry.

Its Own ShipyardIn 1977 Max Heinimann got to know Tony Lapthorn, who was running a small shipping business on the River Med-way. Together they bought the Acorn Shipyard in Roches-ter, which was mainly engaged in ship repairs. From then on, their vessels were repaired, overhauled and painted at their own shipyard. They won other shipping companies as

customers, and as a result capacities were fully utilized. In 1986 Union Transport bought Lapthorn’s stake in the un-dertaking, and in 2000 it added the Quarry Shipyard, which was located opposite Acorn on the Medway. This increased Union Transport’s capacities substantially, paving the way for a successful future. ■ SB/OM

For further information: Harald Seibicke, Area Manager Benelux/Northwest Europe and Secretary British Committee, Phone: +31 10 2040404; E-Mail: harald.seibicke@gl-group.com

On the one hand, Max Heinimann is clever enough not to take any incalcu-lable risks. On the other, he is pragmatic enough to have vessels built in India. When asked about his motives, he says, “There were three reasons why I decided to build in Goa: fi rstly, the price was attractive; secondly, so was the delivery date; and thirdly, the shipyard was recommended to me. Sure, I also had interesting offers from China and Vietnam. But the shipyards in those countries couldn’t deliver before 2009.”

On a personal note: What im-pressed Max Heinimann was that Ashok Chowgule, the Indian shipyard director, came to visit him in Bromley, south London, where the company has been based since 1985. Heinimann is a man who appreciates personal contact. There are limits as to the esteem that one can convey by phone or e-mail.

On-site, the vessel’s construction was supervised by a representative of the shipowning company who sent daily progress reports by e-mail. Heinimann’s technical staff were queuing up to

handle the project. The Union team is highly motivated anyway thanks to an attractive bonus package and a good working atmosphere. Over the years the company has succeeded in optimizing processes and increasing its customer base.

Diffi cult: In recent decades, Union Transport has gained a lot of experi-ence in building new vessels – in the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and the UK. The experience was not al-ways good, though: we had to cancel a contract for four coastal vessels with an option for another two.

Ironic: The two vessels which were not accepted are now part of Union Transport’s fl eet anyway, since the company took over a competitor.

Business: An order for four newbuildings has been placed with Chowgule and Company Shipyard (see below) in Goa. These multi-purpose dry cargo carriers are 89.94 metres long and 14.4 metres wide, and have a carrying capacity of 4450 dwt. The fi rst vessel’s keel-laying ceremony

took place on 23 May 2006 at the new shipyard site Rassaim. Delivery is planned for July 2007. The name “Un-ion Ruby” has also been decided on.

Newbuildings: Deliveries from India

Chowgule & Company Ltd. is in the vanguard of exploiting inland water-ways in Goa. Nowadays, the Indian company builds a wide range of mari-time vessels, ranging from ore-carrying barges, grab and suction dredgers and deep-sea fi shing trawlers to offshore drilling rigs, tugs, pontoons, launches, hopper barges and coastal vessels. The company’s yards are situated in Loutulim and Rassaim, Goa. The con-struction grounds include a slipway of 220 to 20 metres as well as two construction bays of 90 to 40 meters

each. Up to now, more than 100 ves-sels have been built at the Chowgule & Company Shipyard, which also holds

an International Ship Repair Licence issued by the Directorate General of Shipping (Mumbai) and takes care of repairs of sea-going vessels. In 2005 Chowgule received orders for six MPP cargo ships from a joint venture with Navigia, a subsidiary of shipbuilder Rudolf Schöning and Apollo Shipping. Including the four Union Transport newbuildings Chowgule’s order book presently lists 20 MPP cargo ships of 4,450 dwt involving European owners. The plan is to deliver the fi rst in the series to Navigia in January and the fi rst of the Union Transport vessels in May 2007. On the whole, six newbuild-ings are due for delivery in 2007.

“Attractive price, convenient delivery date and convincing quality” Max Heinimann

Chowgule & Company

Bay of Bengal

SRI LANKA

India

GOA

India

Panaji

Marmagoa

Pakistan China

Loutulim

Arabian Sea

Loutulim

5000Miles

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MARITIME SERVICES | UNION TRANSPORT

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EAST ASIA | MARITIME SERVICES

nonstop: Congratulations on your appointment, Dr Wasmansdorff. How do you feel?Volkmar Wasmansdorff: I am excited about the task of serv-ing our customers in Asia. It is a wonderful challenge and I am looking forward to strengthening our ties with the flourishing shipbuilding industry.nonstop: What experience have you had with Asia?Wasmansdorff: Actually, I am quite an old hand, having had my first professional contact with Asia nearly 20 years ago. Since then, I have gained experience with almost all coun-tries in the East Asia Division. East Asia is a dynamic region with strong growth rates; I am optimistic about its future. That said, we need to provide specific answers, since the Asian continent is not homogeneous, but home to many separate cultural identities.nonstop: What are your goals?Wasmansdorff: Germanischer Lloyd operates an ambitious business model and has been growing at a remarkable rate. My ambition is to extend our services to all Asian countries involved in shipbuilding. Germanischer Lloyd has already gained recognition as “the container ship society” and that is fine but there are more strings to our bow.

After all, we have a proven track record in a variety of sectors, ranging from bulk carriers to multi-purpose ves-sels and high-speed craft, from tankers to product carriers. We must increase the industry’s awareness of our expertise in these product areas and position ourselves as their part-ner of choice. I think this is very important.nonstop: What role can Germanischer Lloyd play in the Asian shipbuilding nations?Wasmansdorff: With more ships on order than ever before, Germanischer Lloyd is already playing a significant role for the Asian shipbuilding industry. Given the likelihood of stagnating growth rates in the future, I regard our qual-ity approach and service orientation as important assets. We are constantly enhancing our wide range of proven and new classification services.

For example, shipyards and designers will save a lot of time using our latest software tool called “GL ShipLoad”. It makes it much easier to model cargo distribution and calculate hydrodynamic loads both efficiently and accu-rately, which greatly accelerates the strength assessment of hull structures. My responsibility will be to allocate the resources needed to deal with the workload of each indi-vidual shipyard.nonstop: What are your priorities?Wasmansdorff: As a service provider focused on quality and implementing high standards, we will continue to improve our efficiency. In addition, we will support new shipyards and deepen our relationship with the supply industry.nonstop: Could you give a specific example?Wasmansdorff: There are striking differences between Vietnam, China, India and Korea in terms of shipbuild-ing technology. The modern, efficient production process used by very large shipyards in Korea involves sophisti-

cated external block-construction facilities which require a large number of decentralized inspections. Some yards consume about a million tons of steel per year. In India, by contrast, there are shipyards that use only a few thousand tons of steel in ship production. The production processes, tools, and levels of education vary considerably.

At the end of the day, it is our job to check whether a vessel was built to our rules and standards and whether it is fit for purpose under both the international maritime conventions and the flagstate’s regulations.nonstop: What do you do in terms of long-term qualityassurance?Wasmansdorff: We are continually upgrading the skills of our staff. We have expanded our technical management system by appointing a Technical Manager at the division level who is supported by internal quality support teams for every country in the region. ■ OM

In offi ce since October: The new Vice President Division East Asia, Dr Volkmar Wasmansdorff, talks about the challenges of the market and his goals

Quality is Non-Negotiable

“Our software tools help save shipyards and engineering fi rms a lot of money.” Dr Volkmar Wasmansdorff

EXPERIENCE. Dr Volkmar Wasmansdorff is the new Head of Division East Asia.

30 nonstop 4/2006

MARITIME SERVICES | CHINA

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SHANGHAI.A single-hull tanker under construction.

Shanghai, one of the leading ports in Asia, is a major cent-er of the Asian shipbuilding industry. This is why Ger-manischer Lloyd is right on the spot – with engineering

services tailored to meet the demands of these shipyards.On your marks – wait for the call – go! When it comes to

his job, Ulrich Behrens has two principles he always ad-heres to: whenever his expertise is required somewhere, hedoesn’t waste any time. And whenever he swings into ac-tion, he does so with a holistic vision.

“We not only carry out measurements, we also make spe-cific recommendations,” he says. “Measurements, analysisand a solution to the problem, all in one package – thatis our special strength. And if necessary, we deliver it allwithin a very short time,” he adds. Behrens, head of Engi-neering Services at Germanischer Lloyd, Shanghai, is a vi-bration and noise expert specializing in investigating me-chanical vibrations that exceed the limits permitted by ISO6954. Such excessive vibration may cause discomfort andhealth problems.

Good Vibrations, Bad VibrationsTake the case of a tanker newbuilding a few months ago.Behrens received a call from the shipping agent just beforethe sea trial. The problem: vibration had been encounteredon the bridge deck and found to be extremely unpleas-ant, not only for the shipping agent. Initial measurementsseemed to indicate that the limits were being exceeded. “Atthis stage, you cannot possibly make a well-founded state-ment about the causes,” says Behrens who has many yearsof experience.

“That the vibration level extended so far into the per-ceptible range was certainly alarming,“ but that was all weknew. What we needed was an objective picture of thesesubjective sensations.” Behrens analyzed the problem, fig-uring in boundary conditions such as mass distribution, thedeck pillars, etc. He deduced a natural frequency of 17.5 Hzfor the local subsystem. Thiscorresponded to a propellerspeed of 105 rpm, which evi-dently caused the excessiveresonance in the deckhouse.On occasion of the sea trial ofthe sister ship, Ulrich Behrenswas able to verify his conclu-sions during a phased run-upof the engine. In the servicespeed range, the frequencylevels were far above limits.

Based on his analysis, Beh-

rens was immediately able to discuss possible solutions withthe shipyard’s designers and the shipping agent. They unan-imously decided to add two support pillars in the centralpart of the deckhouse. Subsequent measurements showedthat the vibration level was now ranging within the limitsand had in fact decreased by a factor of 3. This timely solu-tion to the problem – before the delivery of further units ofthe series – saved both the yard and the owner considerableexpense. “Having to fi nd remedies to the excessive vibrationproblem at a later time would have been much more costly,”says Behrens. “What is more, one must always expect conse-quential damage with amplitudes of this scale.”

Analyzing and correcting vibra-tion problems constitutes only partof the wide-ranging activities of GL’sEngineering Services in Shanghai.The office closely cooperates withthe Hamburg headquarters to pro-vide customers with access to theentire spectrum of GL’s engineering

Analyzing problems, implementing fastturn around solutions: Germanischer Lloyd’sengineers are active around the world

Tracking Down Vibration

AUDIENCE. Ulrich Behrens presentingthe Engineering Services of Germa-nischer Lloyd at the fair „Maritime Viet-nam“ in Ho Chi Minh City.

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CHINA | MARITIME SERVICES

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ault

What do a heavily loaded cargo ship in heavy seas and a Formula Iracing car taking a curve at 170 km/h have in common? As different asthese two situations may appear, it is not only the individuals steeringthese vehicles that are put to the test, but also the vehicles themselves.Both the ship and the car are travelling in a borderline situation that ex-poses their materials to extreme stress. It is the engineer’s job to designthe vehicles so they will withstand these borderline stress loads.

There are numerous mathematical approaches to determine therelationship between force and deformation so as to properly dimensioneach basic component. But frequently these methods are inadequate forreal-life requirements, especially so in complex structures. How can anengineer manage this seemingly impenetrable mess of loads, points ofapplication of force, and section moduli?

Small solutions. The answer is a scientifi c method that breaks uplarge problems into many individual partial problems that are fi rst solvedindependently. All these small solutions can then be merged into onebig solution. This is what the fi nite-element method (FEM) is all about. Itowes much of its success to the introduction of powerful yet affordablecomputers that can handle the enormous amounts of individual calcula-tions involved in this method.

Big system. Simply put, the FEM substitutes a virtual structure of alarge but fi nite number of individual, simple elements assumed to havesimple elastic properties for the specifi c component. These elements areassumed to be interconnected at individual points called nodes. Loadsand the resulting deformation of the elements cause node movements orforces within the structure. The challenge consists in creating an equilib-rium between these inner forces and the external forces. This leads to anenormous equation system that often comprises hundreds of thousandsof elements and can be solved to produce the desired values. A job forMr Silicon: many computer applications today use the FEM.

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services and its team of about 50 mechanical engineers, na-val architects, physicists and mathematicians. On-site serv-ice teams at locations around the globe, such as Ulrich Be-hrens in Shanghai, profit from this network tremendously.

“We go wherever we are needed,” says Karsten Fach, Headof Engineering Services at GL. Modern means of commu-nication are important prerequisites for rapid analysis andproblem-solving, he emphasizes.

Unique ExpertiseOne of the key competence areas that enable GL to deliverits unique customer focus is structural strength. With GLShipLoad, Germanischer Lloyd offers a user-friendly pro-gram for computing load spectra for reliable finite-elementanalysis (FE analysis, see info box) of a ship. Using thegraphical user interface, ship, wave and cargo parameterscan be applied to the FE model quickly and reliably; hydro-graphic and hydrodynamic calculations are integrated.

The calculation process provides the designer with se-lected, substantiated and realistic load assumptions for op-timal dimensioning of the hull based on the given require-ments. Another software product that supplies EngineeringServices with outstanding results is the GL ShipModel ap-plication for hull design – an extension developed in-houseof the widely used MSC.Patran package, and a pioneering

achievement in many ways. “The development of structuralmodels for analyzing strength, vibrations and ship acous-tics is not supported by any commercial software vendor,”Karsten Fach says.

Another new trail was blazed when GL engineers devel-oped a high-speed trimaran 130 meters in length. Initially,there was no experience available, nor were there any es-tablished rules covering the envisaged ship design. What todo? In the end, the GL specialists paved the road to successby combining computational fluid dynamics derived fromthe world of automotive engineering with their experiencegained from other ship types.

Precisely this is what distinguishes GL’s Engineer-ing Services, Karsten Fach explains. “We make our owndevelopments with our own staff, thereby achieving a levelof subject-specific know-how that is simply unique world-wide.”

But GL does not guard this expertise jealously. “It is myjob to pass on the knowledge,” says GL’s Shanghai expert,Ulrich Behrens. To this end, he is currently working on thepresentation documents for the first vibration seminar tobe held by the GL Academy – an Asian debut. ■ JI

For further information: Ulrich Behrens, GL Engineering Services Shanghai,Phone: +86 138 16504332, E-Mail: ulrich.behrens@gl-group.com

Finite Elements: Computing to Achieve Equilibrium

BACKGROUND

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iusFLOTSAM. Thrown from board

into the sea, it is often washedashore somewhere completely

different.

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MARITIME SERVICES | MARPOL

SHANGHAI.A single-hull tanker under construction.

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OTOL

IA

Proper waste disposal is of central signifi cance for the safety of crew and cargo, the envi-ronment and, last but not least, the image of the shipping company. At the GL Academy, ex-perts are on hand to refresh the knowledge and skills of the participants

Waste Overboard?

G reen, grey and brown refuse bins, yellow disposalbags, special containers for paper, green glass andwhite glass are waiting in the towns. And they are

regularly collected by refuse collectors. Getting rid ofrefuse is no problem for landlubbers. Things are a bit moredifficult on the high seas. Where can a captain dump hisplastic bottles when at that moment he is cruising betweenKiribati and Nauru? What to do with all the greasy clean-ing rags, the banana skins, the oil residues from the engineroom, and the used hypodermics from the sickbay? “Wasteoverboard” is certainly one answer – but not a very envi-ronmentally friendly one. Seals perish in plastic foil, andfishes get caught in bags or die from swallowing splintersof glass. But the safety of the crew and cargo too is at risk.Chemicals that are not disposed of in the proper mannercan lead to fires and explosions, while bits of plastic float-ing in the waves can clog up cooling water inlets or blockthe propeller.

Apart from that, the simple throw-away solution is com-pletely illegal in many cases.

Laws are in place on all levels to restrict the disposal ofwaste from ships. The International Maritime Organization,each flag state, every coastal nation, ports and shipown-ers, associations such as INTERTANKO, the InternationalCouncil of Cruise Lines (ICCL), the Baltic and InternationalMaritime Council (BIMCO) and the International Chamberof Shipping (ICS) – have all issued their own recommenda-tions and regulations on waste management. In this tan-gled web of legislation, it is difficult to keep a clear over-view.

Exchange across Industry SectorsThe necessary clarity is given by the “Waste Management”seminar offered by the GL Academy. Henning Gramann,environmental engineer and specialist for maritime wastemanagement at Germanischer Lloyd, conducts this coursefor the ships’ masters and crews of merchant ships andcruise liners, for the staff of port reception facilities anddisposal companies, and also for plant manufacturers. Theseminar’s objective is to inform the participants about thestatutory and technical fundamentals as well as new de-velopments in waste disposal. In addition, checks by theauthorities, the obligation for reporting and recordingdisposal actions, and optimization of waste managementactivities on board are also on the agenda. This one-dayseminar in Hamburg offers the participants from a widerange of fields many opportunities for an exchange of ex-perience, and also throws up topical issues that stimulatecontroversial discussions.

Tons of Sludge, Cooking Oil and WoodEvery day, a 2100 TEU container ship with a main engine of12,500 kilowatts uses up 53,000 litres of fuel and 140 litresof lubricating oil. The “ship’s leftovers” include two tons of

oil residues, 5 to 10 cubic metres of oily bilge water, 160tonnes of carbon dioxide, 0.9 tonnes of carbon monoxide,4.3 tonnes of sulphur compounds, and 2.7 tonnes of nitro-gen oxides. And such a cargo ship is one of the more eco-nomical vessels. Added to this, you have the leftovers fromthe messroom and galley, the empty tins of paint, dunnagewood, shrink-wrap, cargo remainders, ...

The boom in shipping is making it all the more impor-tant to ensure that these remnants do not end up in the sea.The oceans are largely unexplored. We know more aboutthe moon than about the icy depths. But one thing is sure:whatever is put into the sea will pop up again somewhere,sometime. For example, a packet of crisps was found inAntarctica. Its best-before date had long since elapsed, soit had probably been drifting about for many years. Sucha plastic bag takes years to decompose. Even a garment ofnatural wool needs a whole year to decay, treated woodtakes 13 years, a tin is estimated to last a century, and plas-tic bottles over 450 years. With the aim of protecting theoceans, the International Maritime Organization (IMO)formulated MARPOL as a globally binding convention toprevent marine pollution by ships. The basic principle ofMARPOL Annex V, for instance, is to make sure that, of allthe waste produced by ships, as little as possible passesinto the sea. Instead, the waste is to be transferred to portreception facilities.

Tighter RegulationsAll seafaring nations have pledged to observe MARPOL.From the viewpoint of some states, the restrictions go toofar, but many other countries believe the requirements

STAPLE GOODS. Full containers with on-board wastes wait at thedock for collection.

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Kiel

Rostock

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10° 11° 12 ° 13 °

are too soft – after all, it is still permissible to dumpalmost all waste into the oceans. The only absolute “dis-posal ban” applies to one single material: plastic. In noform and in no region whatsoever is it permissible to “falloverboard”. Since MARPOL does not suffice for many leg-islators, a large number of regional, national and local lawshave been issued to tighten up on the IMO requirements.Worldwide, it is inadmissible to dispose of land-basedwaste at sea. And materials with milk or meat remnants

must be handled with great care, owing to the danger oftransmitting disease.

The Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission(HELCOM) has issued special recommendations for theBaltic region. With good reason. This sea is relatively shal-low and, being almost landlocked, there is little exchange ofwater. Contamination is a particularly serious threat here,as shown by the repeated occurrence of algal blooms. Forthis reason, no waste incineration plants may be used onships plying the Baltic. Although the HELCOM recommen-dations apply to all ships only in territorial waters, and out-side the 12-nautical-mile zone only to ships sailing underthe flags of the HELCOM contracting parties (Denmark, Es-tonia, the EU, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland,Russia and Sweden), it is difficult to stay outside of terri-torial waters for any length of time when passing throughthe Baltic.

Draconian PenaltiesThe various laws are confusing; an easily understandabledatabase or reference guide is sorely needed. So why notjust throw the waste over the side? Who will ever find out?Usually, there is no ship in sight, and a few “good-lookinglines” are quickly fabricated in the record books.

Not everyone has the bad luck the crew of a chemicaltanker experienced last year. Port inspectors had foundmeat products on board and sealed it into plastic bags.Once at sea again, the mariners remembered their appetitefor steaks. They tore open the officially sealed packages andfried the meat. As bad luck would have it, one of the bagsfell overboard and was washed up on the beach. It was thenpossible to identify the guilty party by means of the seal. Acourt sentenced the captain and owner to a total fine ofabout US$ 72,500 – quite a lot of money for a plastic bagand some fudged records.

However, the penalties can be even more draconian. Inthe United Arab Emirates, marine pollution can cost up toUS$ 270,000. For dumping radioactive material, even the

ENVIRONMENTALDAMAGE. The BalticSea is an especially

sensitive body ofwater protected by

very strict rules. Themap shows the pollu-tion levels measuredin 2004. Blue symbols

mark deposits of ac-cumulated waste.

REFUSE COLLECTION.When a cruise ship ar-

rives, it needs to disposeof all of accumulated

waste.

OilChemicals

WasteOthers

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Sassnitz

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55°

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death sentence may be imposed. Dramatic consequencesmay possibly ensue if one of those inconspicuous little firedetectors falls overboard by accident, because they oftencontain radioactive materials.

Not only fines but also prison sentences are possiblein the USA. At present, the captain of a reputable interna-tional shipping company is in jail. He is accused of havingdischarged oily bilge water over a period of five monthsthrough a so-called “magic pipe”. Decades of imprison-ment are looming over him.

For the shipping company, the offence will involve morework and added expense for a very long time to come. Itwill be blacklisted, which results in regular tours by exter-nal inspectors who check every single ship calling at a USport. Over and above the heavy penalties, large cruise linercompanies have been forced to spend years implementinga comprehensive and strict environmental managementsystem on board.

Most shipping companies and their staff do observethe regulations – and not only because of the fines and thesafety of crew and vessel. Environmental protection is in-creasingly becoming a matter of image. And yet there arestill shipowners who do not see the point of spending mon-ey on ecological disposal methods. A strange attitude whenone considers that the associated costs, for example for acontainer ship, hardly exceed the daily charter fee. An ef-fective way of more or less forcing shipowners to conformis the so-called “no special fee” clause, according to whicha ship must always pay for disposal in port, irrespective ofwhether it actually transfers its waste to a port receptionfacility or not.

The disposal fee therefore forms an integral part of theharbour dues. This takes the financial advantage out ofdumping waste at sea. So far, however, only a few portshave introduced this system. ■ NL

For further information: The GL Academy regularly holds seminars on “Waste Man-agement”. Ulrike Schodrok, Phone: +49 40 36149-195, E-Mail: academy@gl-group.com

MARPOL consists of an article sectionwhich contains general provisions anddefi nitions of terms, and six annexesregulating certain regulations of shippingrelevant to the marine environment. TheConvention and Annex I became effectivein 1983, with the other annexes cominginto effect later, e.g. Annex VI as recentlyas May 2005.

MARPOL I is aimed at guarding againstoil pollution. For instance, before bilgewater can be discharged overboard, itsoil content must be measured and limited.

MARPOL II and III are aimed atpreventing marine pollution by noxiousliquids or harmful substances car-ried in bulk or in packaged form.

MARPOL IV limits the disposal ofblack water, e.g. sewage from the toiletsor infi rmaries. Amongst other things, thisannex demands that ships from a size of400 GT or 15 persons on board must sailat a minimum speed of four knots whendischarging black water, and also main-tain a minimum distance from the coast.

MARPOL V applies to solid shipwastes for all ship types and sizes, i.e.also to typical ´household leftovers`. Ad-missible disposal depends on the typeof waste and the position of the ship.Moreover, masters of ships from 400 GTor with more than 15 persons on boardmust keep a record book on what wastewas disposed of when and where.

MARPOL VI is aimed at controllingair pollution through gaseous emis-sions by ships. The sulphur limit for fueloil lies at 4.5 per cent, and in specialemission control zones, like the NorthSea and Baltic Sea, at 1.5 per cent. Theships` masters therefore have to keepa watchful eye on where they use whatkind of fuel oil. Nevertheless, the gen-eral sulphur limit of 4.5 per cent has beenchosen so high that it is easily observed.

MARPOL Marks the Minimum Standard

RULES AND REGULATIONS

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Business is really booming. And yet the suppliers tothe shipbuilding industry are already feeling the hotbreath of their competitors in Asia down their necks.

“We must use the current boom phase to gird ourselves forbad times,” warned Dr Alexander Nürnberg, chairman ofthe working group “Marine and Offshore Equipment Indus-try” within the German Engineering Federation (VDMA).

To sound out the potential for efficiency enhancementand cost reduction, the VDMA issued an invitation to a po-dium discussion entitled “Who’s stamping now? Enhancedefficiency in classification for a globally competitive ship-ping and shipbuilding industry” which was held with thescope of the leading shipping fair SMM in Hamburg. Thetopic proved to be as contentious as it had promised. Infront of more than 150 industry representatives, Dr Her-mann J. Klein (Executive Board, Germanischer Lloyd),Christian Fritzen (Managing Director, Peter Döhle Schif-fahrts-KG), Ralf Sempf (Meyer Werft), Dr Ing. GottfriedBraun (MAN B & W Diesel) and Hatlapa CEO Dr AlexanderNürnberg entered into a frank but fair discussion on “Clas-sification of the Future”. Chaired by Professor Georg Wacht-meister (Technical University of Munich), the podium con-cluded: only with dialogue and partnership can the jointpotential for optimization be tapped and realized.

Strong in export, German suppliers employ 70,000 peo-ple and generate more than EUR 9 billion in annual turno-ver. But with the competitive pressure increasing steadily,cost-effectiveness is becoming a matter of survival. This isone of the reasons why the German Engineering Federation

is working intensively on a national and international levelto develop specific proposals for improvement in the clas-sification processes.

At the Hamburg podium discussion, Dr Nürnberg, Man-aging Partner of Hatlapa Uetersener Maschinenfabrik,called for greater cost transparency from the classificationsocieties: “Having appreciable differences in price betweenthe IACS classes for comparable services is simply unac-ceptable.” Amongst the suppliers, there is also an increas-ing lack of understanding for multiple surveys, thus accept-ance of the same construction unit by different classifica-tion societies. Nürnberg: “This ties up highly qualified staffwithout creating any added value.”

There was support for this viewpoint from the ship-building industry. Ralf Sempf, Head of the Materials Man-agement and Purchasing Department at Meyer Werft in Pa-penburg, also criticized the multiple surveys. “It is difficultto comprehend why steel plate that has been approved by a

Avoiding frictional losses, cutting costs, increasing effi ciency: shipbuilding suppliers andclassifi cation societies are banking on better dialogue

Suppliers and Classifi cation Societies – Goals for the Future

Dr Hermann J. Klein, Member of theExecutive Board, Germanischer Lloyd

Christian Fritzen, Managing Director,Peter Döhle Schiffahrts-KG

Ralf Sempf, Head of Materials Managementand Purchasing, Meyer Werft

EXCHANGE OF IDEAS. Over 150 visitorstook part in the VDMA event ´Classifi cation of the Future`.

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recognized classification society must be stamped off againfor use in a ship sailing under a second IACS class,” saidSempf. Granting the manufacturers a high-er degree of autonomy and self-responsibil-ity could make the overall process more flex-ible and economical. Ralf Sempf pointed out:

“This would do away with the need for a visitby a second or even a third surveyor. After all,somebody has to pay for these extra trips.”

With product and design innovations, thefocus is less on cost and more on flexibility.Suppliers and yards alike have to expend a lotof effort to get novel concepts past the classi-fication societies. Ralf Sempf was convinced:

“Goal-based classification – as opposed to therule-based surveys still usual today – will yieldconsiderable benefits.”

Greater flexibility is on the wish list of Dr GottfriedBraun, Quality Manager at MAN B&W Diesel, also for theintroduction of new regulations. “There should be a grand-father clause – protection of existing rights for proven prod-ucts,” said Braun. His main requirements for the “Classifi-cation of the Future” are safeguarding product quality, cre-ating lean, flexible and cost-effective processes, avoidingduplication of surveys, and cultivating the fundamentalprinciple of manufacturers” self-responsibility whereverpossible. Both experts – Braun and Sempf – were bankingon cooperation: “We really want to foster an ongoing dia-logue with the classification societies,” Braun asserted.

Germanischer Lloyd, as the only representative of theclassification societies present at the VDMA podium dis-

cussion, was more than willing. However, Dr Hermann J.Klein, Member of the GL Executive Board, viewed the de-

sired harmonization between the IACSclasses a little sceptically, because of thedifferences exhibited by the individual so-cieties. Formulation of Common Structur-al Rules, as a harmonization of the vari-ous sets of construction rules and their re-ciprocal recognition, is a difficult processwhich itself could obstruct flexibility andinnovative advancement. Dr Klein said:

“Here we must proceed with great care.”With regard to the business processes

in place between class and suppliers, Ger-manischer Lloyd had already been hunt-ing for optimization potential. Whateveris meaningful will be implemented. For

instance, the increased autonomy demanded by suppliersfor the testing of series products was already an everydaymatter to a certain extent. And the dialogue between Ger-manischer Lloyd and the shipbuilding supply industry wasrunning at full speed: “However, environmental protectionand safety must never be sacrificed on the altar of commer-cial interests,” emphasized Dr Klein.

Here he received support from Christian Fritzen. TheManaging Director of Peter Döhle Schiffahrts-KG remindedlisteners that, in the end, it was the shipowners who had tobear the costs of classification, and advised against leavingthe acceptance testing of vendor products up to the manu-facturers: “We need independent inspectors and certifiers.That is in the best interests of everyone involved.” ■ JM

VDMA: THE WISH LIST FOR THE CLASSIFICATION SOCIETIES

The German Engineering Federation(VDMA) organized a podium discussionin Hamburg with experts from the ship-ping industry.Topic: Classifi cation of the Future.Goal: Greater effi ciency in the coopera-tion between shipbuilding suppliers andclassifi cation societies.Demands of the suppliers:

■ Increased self-responsibility in theclassifi catory surveys for qualifi ed equip-ment suppliers and products to securetheir own level of competitiveness. Therigid rule-based system favors produc-tion fi rms with a lower level of know-how,above all in low-wage economies.■ Harmonization of selected rules ofthe individual IACS societies.

■ Greater cost transparency of thenecessary classifi cation services toprevent distortion of competition.■ Equal treatment worldwide of thesuppliers with regard to the classifi ca-tion requirements. Only then can thedisadvantages suffered by the innovativemanufacturers in high-wage countriesbe reduced.

Prof. Dr Georg Wachtmeister,Technical University of Munich

Dr Gottfried Braun, QualityManagement, MAN B&W Diesel

Dr Alexander Nürnberg,Managing Partner, Hatlapa

“We are pro-active in approaching our customers.” Dr Hermann J. Klein

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GLO

Personal News

Dr Rainer Mohr is the new Global Business Manager of Germani-

scher Lloyd Oil & Gas (GLO). Mohr studied mechanical engineering at Braunschweig Technical University. He was previously a member of the executive board of Menck GmbH, a company specializing in founda-tions for onshore and offshore struc-

tures. At GLO, 36-year old Mohr will be responsible for the entire range of high-quality engineering services offered for oil, gas, and industrial plants, comprising everything from design to decommissioning. For further Information: Dr Rainer Mohr, Global Business Manager GLO, Phone: +49 40 36149-515, E-Mail: rainer.mohr@gl-group.com

BODE CHEMIE

Certifi ed Disinfectants, Hygiene and Personal Care Products

The environmental management audit according to ISO 14001:2004 at Bode Chemie GmbH & Co. KG focus-

ed on the “Development, Production and Sale of Disin-fectants, Cleaning Agents, Preservatives, and Personal Care Products.” The company first had its quality and medical products management systems certified accord-ing to ISO 9001 and ISO 13485 in 1995.

In November 2006, Germanischer Lloyd Executive Board Member Rainer Schöndube presented the new certificate to Dr Ulrich Möllers, managing director of Bode Chemie. Based in Hamburg, Bode is a worldwide leader in chemical products for disinfection, hygiene, skin care, and technical preservation. By choosing to comply with international standard ISO 14001:2004, the enterprise exceeds the legal and statutory require-ments.

Effi cient use. Bode Chemie and Germanischer Lloyd have been partners for eleven years. Accepting the cer-tificate at Germanischer Lloyd headquarters, Dr Möllers

explained the benefits of having his company’s man-agement systems analyzed regularly and systematic ally:

“Our foremost environmental objective is to reduce no-socomial infections of hospital patients through the effi-cient use of Bode products. Much suffering can be avoid-ed, and millions of euros saved.”

AUDIT. Dr Ulrich Möllers (left), Managing Director of Bode Chemie, and GL Executive Board Member Rainer Schöndube.

News from Industrial Services

Agenda

MEXICO

The Project Pipeline is Full

More than 20 active projects: Whenever specialist advice

is needed for building or repair-ing pipelines in any region of Mexico, the experts of Germa-nischer Lloyd Oil & Gas are there to assist.

Whether risk analysis, diag-nostics, inspection, quality con-trol, or certification – GLO Mex-ico will tune each project to the official standards of Mexico, in-ternational guidelines and tech-nical best practices.

At Costa Azul, one of Mexi-co’s largest liquefied-gas storage projects, GLO monitors techni-

cal safety from the planning stages through construction all the way to maintenance during routine operation.

PIPELINE. A project in Mexico.

MARCH11.03. – 14.03.2007MEOS 2007 – 15th Middle East Oil & Gas Show and Conference Manama, Bahrain

28.03.2007www.Windmesse.de-symposiumHamburg, Germany

APRIL03.04. – 05.04.2007CIOOEBeijing, China

16.04. – 20.04.2007Hannover MesseHanover, Germany

30.04. – 03.05.2007OTCHouston, USA

MAY07.05. – 10.05.2007 EWECMilan, Italy

JUNE03.06. – 06.06.2007Windpower 2007Los Angeles, USA

12.06. – 15.06.2007OGAKuala Lumpur, Malaysia

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INDUSTRIAL SERVICES | NEWS

What are the prospects for wind en-ergy in the decades to come? Will

it outstrip fossil fuels? In his speech at a convention of WindEnergieZirkel Hanse, Dr Peter Ahmels, chairman of the German Federal Wind Energy As-sociation, described the perspectives of his industry.

To cope with climate change, re-newable energy sources could con-tribute substantially to a reduction of

CO2 emissions associated with energy production. “In 2005, wind energy re-duced CO2 emissions in Germany by roughly 25 million tons,” said Ahmels. According to conservative estimates, 179 million tons of CO2 emissions could be avoided worldwide by the end of the decade. The increasing pro-duction of electricity from renewable sources will reduce the dependency on fossil fuel imports while lowering the

cost of electricity. “The Leipzig stock exchange is revealing today how wind energy can keep the prices of other energy forms in check,” Ahmels con-tinued. He believes that the produc-tion costs of various forms of electri-cal energy will level out within the next ten years. Wind energy would then be among the least expensive sources of electricity. Due to the volatility of fos-sil fuel prices, the costs of new wind farms can be calculated more reliably today than those of traditional power plants.

Improved business environment. Ahmels expects many “bureaucratic construction sites” to be eliminated in the coming years. Insufficient capac-ity will likely be eliminated through grid upgrades and new line installa-tions. “In view of the positive effects of alternative energy sources on our cli-mate, public support for exaggerated environmental protection demands will wane.”

Eliminating redundant require-ments, such as height limitations for wind turbines, will improve the effec-tiveness of wind power stations. New systems and consistent repowering will dramatically increase the energy yield. Ahmel predicts that wind turbines will not necessarily increase in number, but will increase their energy output. “The wind power sector is a classic growth industry,” he said. Sales are topping EUR 4 billion. Ahmels believes a 25% annual growth rate to be realistic. “You may rest assured that wind power will cook up quite a storm,” he said.

WINDENERGIEZIRKEL HANSE

Bracing the Storms

CERTIFICATES. Prof. Dr Rainer H. Böger (CTC North) and Rainer

Schöndube (GL).HEALTHCARE

Clinical Quality Assurance

A ll good things come in fours: Following certifi-cation of the quality management system, the

cardiac unit, and the paediatric clinics of the Ep-pendorf University Clinics in Hamburg by Germa-nischer Lloyd Certification GmbH (GLC), a fourth department, the Clinical Trial Center North (CTC North), is now up for certification.

The CTC North coordinates clinical studies and runs diagnostic tests (Phase I Unit). Through the certification procedure, GLC will check and evalu-ate the unit’s compliance with the requirements of ISO 9001:2000, and issue a certificate that remains valid for three years. A monitoring audit will be conducted once per year.

Proven standard. Hospitals and other medical fa-cilities are legally obliged to introduce an internal quality management system.

DIN EN ISO 9001:2000 has proved to be an ef-fective, process-orient-ed quality management standard for healthcare institutions worldwide. Checklists and question-naires assist facilities in building an individual-ized quality management system.

The CTC North was es-tablished in May 2006 as a unit of MediGate GmbH, a wholly-owned subsidi-ary of the Hamburg-Eppendorf University Clinics. The CTC North was officially opened seven months later, in November 2006.

OPTIMISTIC. Dr Peter Ahmels, Chairman, Federal Wind Energy Association.

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PROFILE

nonstop: Mr Tanti, you founded Suzlon Energy Ltd. (Su-zlon) in 1995 after your polyester yarn factory was handeda huge electricity bill. Please give us more details aboutyour switch from the world of textiles to energy.Tulsi Tanti: A very important factor in the textile industry isthe high requirement of energy, because textile manufac-turing is a very power-intensive business. If you would liketo succeed in the textile industry, you need a lot of electric-ity. Before 1995, our business was growing steadily, but Irealized that the more we were increasing our productionthe more the energy costs were getting out of hand. So, inreality, we were not really growing. That was a major set-back for us. We then started looking for a reasonable solu-tion.nonstop: And the answer lay in the Indian wind?Tanti: After analyzing the situation carefully, I realized thatwind power is definitely the best solution. In those days,however, it was very expensive to implement. Companiesin developing countries could not afford the capital invest-ment.

nonstop: Nevertheless, you invested in two wind turbinesfor your textile company in 1990. When did you really seethe enormous potential of wind power?Tanti: First of all, we realized that it was working very well.With these wind turbine generators, we could even predictour power costs for the next 20 years. It certainly gave me agreat vision for my primary business growth.nonstop: And why did you switch from textiles to wind?Tanti: After understanding the concept of wind power, Irealized that this source of power could also provide re-ally sustainable growth for the main industries. So I askedmyself: Why should wind power be restricted to only onecompany? Why should it not apply to the whole nation? Oreven the whole world?Tanti: But India is also pushing nuclear power. Yes, thereare nuclear power plants, but today wind power is biggerthan nuclear power. Nuclear power is producing 3,600megawatts (MW), whereas India currently has 5,300 MWof wind capacity installed. When we started the wind busi-ness in India, the size of the whole industry was just 50 MW.

Tulsi R. Tanti is the founder and managing director of India’s Suzlon Energy Limited (Suzlon),the world’s fi fth largest manufacturer of wind turbines. nonstop spoke with the entrepreneurabout his ascent and the prospects of his industry

Lord of the Wind

“Why shouldn’t wind power apply to the whole nation?” Tulsi Tanti

Tulsi R. Tanti founded Suzlon Energy in 1995, and the company has been anever-ending success story ever since. Suzlon offers its customers total windpower solutions that include consultancy, manufacturing, operations and main-tenance services, and is now the largest wind turbine manufacturer in Indiaand Asia. The company operates worldwide and has research and developmentfacilities in Rostock.

Going Public. Tulsi Tanti enjoyed a massive windfall last September, whenhe sold a minority of shares of his company on the stock market. Since then, theAmerican magazine Forbes ranked him together with well-known names likesteel mogul Lakshmi Mittal or Azim Premji of Wipro in their famous billionaire list.

Awards. Thanks to the power of the wind, Mr Tanti is now counted as theseventh-richest Indian. For his dedication, he was awarded the World WindEnergy Association’s World Prize for Wind Energy (WWEA) in Cape Town in 2003.In november in New Delhi, Tanti received the Terialumni Award for Excellence.

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needed. But whether we are able to manage is not a ques-tion of the competition between one source and the other.For the moment, we need all sources.nonstop: The Indian wind industry has been booming inthe last few years, and India has a wind energy potentialof 45,000 MW. With the present shortfall of 16,000 MW, canwind energy play a major role in bridging the gap?Tanti: India and also China are in a period of high economicgrowth. If the people there want to live like Europeans andAmericans, they have to grow. The talent is there. But is itadvisable to grow like that by damaging the environment?I say “No”. Global warming and climatic change are veryserious problems today. So, on the one hand, we have eco-nomic growth, and, on the other, we have to take care ofthe environment. The whole world has to make a decisionabout the balance between these two factors. Do we needthe planet or do we need economic growth? Each countryhas to make a decision based on its resources – which kindof energy they have to favour and utilize first. The ultimateaim is to ensure that we are damaging neither our environ-ment nor our economy. We have to sustain the stability of

This year it is 2,000 MW. So we truly helped to develop theentire market. It was not just a case of expanding our owncompany. For example, we also took a lot of initiative bydeveloping the infrastructure or educating the banks andinvestors. We convinced them that wind power is a verygood investment for our country. Suzlon is the key catalystfor the growth of the wind power industry in India, andeven our competitors are growing with us.nonstop: The growth of India is impressive. Recently, theWorld Bank forecast that the economic growth of yourcountry in the com- ing years would lie between 6and 8 per cent a year…Tanti: ...but this kind of growth is only possible ifIndia can produce suf- ficient energy!nonstop: And some peo- ple are still counting onnuclear power plants. In Germany, we have anongoing debate on phasing out nuclear energy.Tanti: This question affects not only Germany butthe whole world today. Energy and climate issuesare global, not country-specific issues. We needenergy and we have to find out which type wehave to use so that we do not dam-age our planet and our environ-ment. The costs for oil and gas aregoing up, and reliability issues arebecoming increasingly important.In this scenario, we have to fo-cus on nuclear and renewableenergies. If we develop therenewables faster than nu-clear power, then nuclearpower will no longer be

mankind. That is a key challenge for all of us on earth.nonstop: Let’s talk business. Suzlon products include windturbines with capacities ranging from 350 kW to 2.1 MW. Isthis a secret of your success – that you are focusing on thespecific needs of the people?Tanti: We have to understand the needs of our customers.We have to understand the capability and the capacity andthe constraints. Then we make and deliver the product tomatch. And that is the correct approach for any business-man. The US market is comfortable with 2.1 MW, and Indiaand China are very comfortable with 1 MW and 600 KWmachines. If my customers need platinum, I can’t offerthem steel. If my customer needs steel, I can’t offer himplatinum. If somebody wants to sell a turbine in the Euro-pean market, then 3 MW is what they need.nonstop: And for wind turbines you need a lot of steel. Bythe way, do you know Lakshmi Mittal?Tanti: Yes, he was born in India, but is now living in England,and his business headquarters is in the Netherlands. Un-der his leadership, the Mittal group has become the largeststeel company in the world.

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SUZLON ENERGY | INDUSTRIAL SERVICES

nonstop: And the interesting phenomenon is that, onlya while ago, some European businessmen were laughingat him. They said Europeans are producing Chanel andhis steel is eau de cologne. Now the situation has changed.Can you feel a certain kind of European arrogance regard-ing the needs of the people?Tanti: I don’t see this arrogance. Different continents havedifferent feelings: an Asian can understand an Americandifferently, also a European can understand an Asian dif-ferently but a European person cannot understand anoth-er European differently. I have been operating in Europeancountries for 15 years. Here I have more than 150 vendorsand suppliers. There are 2000 employees who are workingoutside of India for Suzlon. And I don’t see any arrogance atall. The employees of Suzlon come from 12 different coun-tries, and we respect each other and are integrating every-body’s culture. By getting the best out of them all, we arecreating a new Suzlon culture. Our attitude is a global one.I will give you a very good ex ample: my oldest employee isThorsten Spehr, a German engineer who really believes inthe German culture. He is a very hard worker.nonstop: You and your company have enjoyed a very strongand very long relationship with Germanischer Lloyd WindEnergy.Tanti: Yes, we have been working together for eleven years.We are very happy with their service, technical expertise

and support, especially since the wind industry is growingand technology is the key to growth for the industry. Ger-manischer Lloyd is a very good certifying agency, becausethey set new standards in the industry. For a long time, thegrowth in the wind energy industry was only on the Euro-pean market, but now the growth has spread out over thewhole world. We are working in different environments,different situations and different production processes

– so global standards are becoming very important.nonstop: And GL Wind certified all Suzlon’s turbine types,with rotor diameters ranging from 33 to 88 meters?Tanti: Yes, we have a long-term framework agreementwhich provides a good foundation for continuous inno-vation and development. For this, we need to expand ourresources, maintain sufficient capacity, and stay on trackand on schedule. We have a long-term plan for five yearsand every year we review this plan. Germanischer Lloyd isan important business partner in this plan and our growthpolicy.nonstop: One last question: Mr Tanti, you are now in theright business – alternative energy – in the right market, atthe right time. Are you still working in textiles?Tanti: No. Over the last 11 years, my team, my family and myexecutives have been focusing on wind energy 24 hours aday. We want to remain a long-term and serious player inthe development of the wind industry. ■ CG

Corporate Office

Sales

Research & Consult

Production

Windfarm Sites & O&M Sites

IndiaJaipur

Ahmedabad

Diu

MumbaiHyderabad

Bangalore

Coimbatore

Trivandrum

Pondicherry

Chennai

Pune

New Delhi

Jaisalmer

MARKET LEADER.From India, Suzlon is

conquering the world.

PRODUCTION.Assembling a 2 MW

plant at Suzlon.

COOPERATION.Suzlon representatives receiving the typecertifi cate at the Suzlon S88 from GL(l. to r.): Mike Woebbeking, Head of DepartmentMachinery Components and Safety,Bodo Helm, Global Business Manager WindEnergy, Ajey Mohatkar (Suzlon),Alpesh Shah (Suzlon) andReinhard Schleesselmann, Deputy Head ofDepartment Machinery Components and Safety.

42 nonstop 4/2006

INDUSTRIAL SERVICES | SUZLON ENERGY

R ising growth rates, low corporate taxes, a vibrant eco-nomic climate: the kind of conditions to make anyentrepreneur’s heart beat faster. Poland, which apart

from all of this has a good infrastructure and a populationof 38 million with a high standard of education, is alsoregarded as one of the most attractive locations for for-eign companies in Eastern Europe. Like every market, thePolish also has its own special characteristics, which eve-ryone should be familiar with.

Dagmara Zygowska is aware of the opportunities and thehurdles within her native country. After five years with theSwiss certification company SGS, the trained precision en-gineering technician, who also holds an MBA, joined Ger-manischer Lloyd Certification (GLC) as the new CountryManager for Poland in 2006. In an interview she explainsthe conditions on the certification market in Poland, herpersonal objectives in the new post and the qualities thatshe demands of her staff. The certification market in Po-land has been growing by an enormous 20 per cent per yearsince the late 90s.

The predominant standard is ISO 9001, although the de-mand for ISO 14001 is now actually rising faster. Some 40local certification companies are currently scrambling fora share of the fiercely contested market, with the largestslice of 3,000 certifications going to PCBC. The remainingconsiderably smaller companies account for 3,000 certifi-cations in total. Nevertheless, the volume of the nationalmarket leader is still considerably lower than that of the in-ternational certification companies. The largest non-Polishsupplier is TÜV with 3,300 certifications.

Score with QualityIn order to stay in the market, some local suppliers are try-ing to make their mark through price. “In some cases weare seeing price reductions of 30 to 60% – with a consider-able drop in quality at the same time,” says Zygowska, ex-plaining the current situation.

Of course, pricing and quality dumping on this scaleonly attracts companies who are looking for a stamp at thebottom of a sheet of paper. “This is why we have to showour customers that certification means much more thanthis: that it is a critical analysis of existing company proce-dures, specification of the areas for improvement and con-tinuing support for the customer in all areas of business

– both internal and external.”

Raise Market ShareEstablishing the name of Germanischer Lloyd as a trade-mark for expertise and service throughout the country ishow Dagmara Zygowska sees her goal for the coming fiveyears. And in doing so, she is extending her horizons con-siderably beyond the scope of GLC’s activities. She hasset her focus firmly on the entire range of GermanischerLloyd services: cross selling is the keyword when it comesto acquiring customers. Specifically, her objective is to sig-nificantly raise their market share. Not only through certi-fication but also with other industrial services. DagmaraZygowska has set herself and her five-man team an am-bitious target, and one that calls for expertise and a highlevel of motivation. Above all, the new Country Manager isconcerned with giving every member of her team a strongsense of belonging. “Each individual is responsible for thesuccess of the entire group; everybody must be aware ofthis,” she says. Another essential quality for her employeesis the ability to listen. “To our customers, and to colleaguesas well,” she stresses. She is also constantly reminding herteam that they have to be capable of viewing their own jobfrom the customer’s point of view. “An inward-looking atti-tude is fatal in our business,” Zygowska explains. “We can-not hope to understand the customer unless we are able tosee him through his own eyes.” ■ BS

For further information: Dagmara Zygowska, GLC Country Manager for Poland,Phone: +48 22 520 1890, E-Mail: dagmara.zygowska@gl-group.com

GLC positioning itself in Poland as a high-quality service provider

Just A Stamp Won’t Do

WARSAW. Dagmara Zygowska isthe new Country Manager.

© M

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j Dom

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TOLI

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43nonstop 4/2006

POLAND | INDUSTRIAL SERVICES

PIPELINE. Regular maintenanceenhances safety

and extends the life circle.

Simulation: DasSchiffshebewerk des

Staudamms.

G lobal demand for energy is set to rise sharply overthe coming 25 years. The International Energy Agen-cy (IEA) expects an average annual growth rate of 1.7

per cent until 2030, with renewable energies and naturalgas identified as having particularly strong potential forgrowth. The implications for the latter energy source arethat facilities will become larger and more expensive andthat projects will become increasingly international.

Venezuela and Colombia, for instance, recently startedbuilding a joint gas pipeline which will first link the twocountries and then be extended to Panama. The costs areestimated at US$ 335 million. Similarly, the Nabucco gaspipeline, the construction of which is scheduled to be-gin in 2008, will provide Europe with access to the vastgas reserves of the Caspian region. The pipeline is due tobe phased into operation from 2011 and planned to car-ry some eight billion cubic metres of gas per year initially,with the figure expected to rise to as much as 30 billion

cubic metres in 2018. Investment costs amount to EUR 4.6billion.“ The more gigantic and expensive a project is, themore costly it becomes to check the plans and drawingsand to verify the strength calculations for the pipeline andits components”, explains Ulrich Adriany, an expert on on-shore pipelines at Germanischer Lloyd Oil & Gas (GLO).

Target: Maximum ReliabilityHe specializes in an inspection method using a deviceknown in the jargon as a“smart pig”. The term refers to aninspection robot that performs the important task of de-tecting corrosion, ruptures and deformation of petroleumand natural gas pipelines. Adriany observes that this usedto take weeks, but can now be done in a matter of hours.After the current condition of a pipeline is assessed, GLOevaluates the residual risk using special IT tools. Early de-tection and elimination of weaknesses not only improvessafety, but also increases the life of the pipeline. With

Robots check pipelines for corrosion, ruptures and deformation

Smart Pigs on a Mission

44 nonstop 4/2006

INDUSTRIAL SERVICES | PIPELINES

PIPES.Advanced

technology enableseasy

inspection.

INSPECTION. This pipeline pig detects and measures corrosion.

Foto

s: Is

tock

phot

o.co

m (2

) comprehensive technical support and monitoring by GLO,pipelines can work well 24 hours a day.

In this context, Adriany considers three issues to be cru-cial: continuous availability, maximum reliability and mini-mum risk. To reflect these criteria, GLO is currently devel-oping the GALIOM asset integrity management system, aholistic approach that ensures safe and cost-effective op-eration of offshore and onshore facilities over their entirelifespan. The innovative software provides a comprehen-sive, up-to-date online description of the condition of thefacility, making it possible at any time to initiate appropri-ate inspection and maintenance procedures which are op-timized in terms of risk and probability.

GLO’s Life Cycle Service, which comprises certification,detailed surveys, in-depth technical advice as well as math-ematical risk analyses based on the ALARP (As Low As Rea-sonably Practicable) principle and feasibility studies, guar-antees that both newly constructed and aging pipelines op-erate with a high degree of safety. The higher energy pricesrise, the more pipelines will have to be laid in inhospitableparts of the world. As Adriany emphasizes, the possibility ofa natural disaster must not be ignored in the process. Con-sequently, in regions where there is a risk of earthquakes,pipelines are flexibly jointed and laid in a zigzag patternso that they can compensate for any horizontal or vertical

displacement. More often than not, however, damage andleaks are the result of human activity: “The worst enemy ofa pipeline is a digger driver,” Adriany points out. ■ AK

For further information: Ulrich Adriany, Pipelines and Infrastructure,Phone: +49 40 36149-7423, E-Mail: ulrich.adriany@gl-group.com

45nonstop 4/2006

PIPELINES | INDUSTRIAL SERVICES

46 nonstop 04/2006

PERSPECTIVES | REVIEW

11January 1866, Bay of Biscay, wind force nine. Slowly but steadily, the London is fi lling up with water. The steamer is taking 220 emigrants to Australia. In addi-

tion, the London has taken on cargo – too much cargo: as much as 1200 tons of iron and 500 tons of coal. Then the point is reached when there is so water in the vessel that the steam boilers are extinguished and the pumps stop working. One of the passengers, Henry John Dennis, writes his fi nal letter: “Farewell, my father, brother, sisters and my dear Edith. The reason – the ship has loaded too much cargo.” The pas-sengers of the ill-fated London were never found. Only their letters – as messages in bottles that were washed up a month later on the British coast. All of the 69 crew members also lost their lives.

Sailors on the British merchant vessels in the 19th century seldom lived to a ripe old age; all too frequently, the ships capsized due to overloading. The man who was to change this sorry state of affairs had never worked on a ship: Samuel Plim-soll, born in 1824 in the port city of Bristol, spent most of his childhood in Sheffi eld. As a 14-year-old, he read Charles Dick-ens’ novel Oliver Twist, just published, and the realistic por-trayal of social grievances were to shape his life. “Sympathy for the mental anguish of the bereaved” – this is how Nicolette Jones described Plimsoll’s motive force in her biography.

In young Samuel, the heart of an entrepreneur was beat-ing strong at an early age. He left school prematurely to work in a brewery, rising to the position of manager. At the age of 29, the bright city lights of London called him. He opened a

coal dealing business, meeting with initial success. Business intrigues bankrupted him, but Plimsoll made a spirited come-back and was even able to conduct a costly campaign for elec-tion to Parliament. He was not to forget the plight of the poor and needy. Once elected, he made a name for himself as an uncompromising defender of trade union interests.

An Eloquent Spokesman for A Borrowed IdeaIn the meantime, the discussion on the “coffi n ships” had be-come more heated. Within the space of 30 years, the losses of British ships doubled, the general reputation of shipowners suffered, and the fees for insurance policies soared. Things came to a head in 1870 when James Hall, a far-sighted ship-owner from Newcastle, urged the chambers of commerce in 14 British ports to submit a petition to the government. The demand was for, amongst other things, the statutory require-ment for a load line mark, a blacklisting of unseaworthy ships, and a training programme for seafarers. As soon as Plimsoll received a copy of the petition, he contacted James Hall. In William Leng, editor at the Sheffi eld Daily Telegraph, they found an infl uential ally in the battle to fi nally achieve a statutory ruling for the load line mark. The fi rst appeals were formulated, with the cause also receiving support from the Times.

But the shipowners mobilized their own resistance. Their main argument was that there were already far too many laws regulating shipping. Plimsoll, on the other hand, accused un-scrupulous shipowners of buying and overloading unseawor-thy ships on purpose, to collect the insurance sums. More heated debates followed before the Merchant Shipping Act was fi nally able to pass the legislature on 12 August 1876. Of the 46 sections, number 26 is the most important – it made the load line mark an obligatory feature of British ships. The famous symbol is also defi ned there: the mark was to be a ring of 300 millimetres in diameter and 25 millimetres in line width, bisected by a horizontal line of 450 millimetres in length and 25 millimetres in width, the upper edge of which was to pass through the centre of the ring. This was to be placed amidships vertically below the upper edge of the deck line, with the distance between them corresponding to the summer freeboard. In the course of the subsequent decades, almost all seafaring nations introduced the load line mark.

At long last, Plimsoll had achieved his political goal. The general public applauded him as a social reformer, and he

was promptly re-elected to Parliament. The family of the original inventor, James Hall, may be grumbling up to the present day, but the load line mark was not given his name; it is still commonly known as the Plimsoll line. ■ CG

A simple line has saved the lives of countless mariners. The man who pushed it through, despite a sea of obstacles, is the hero of all seafarers: Samuel Plimsoll – although the Plimsoll line was actually not his own idea

Plimsoll’s Lifeline

Plimsoll line. The circle with the line belongs long to the standard– however did not invent its name giver Samual Plimsoll (1824-1894).

The Plimsoll SensationThe Great Campaign to Save Lives at Sea by Nicolette Jones, 416 pages, published by Little, Brown

47nonstop 04/2006

NEW RULES AND GL ACADEMY

JANUARY

Hamburg, 18.01.2007 STCW Basics

Hamburg, 25.01.2007 Introduction to Crewing

FEBRUARY

Hamburg, 01./02.02.2007 Shipping Basics

Hamburg, 06.02.2007 Basics of DIN EN ISO 9001 for Industry and Service Providers

Hamburg, 07./08.02.2007Internal Auditor DIN EN ISO 9001 for Industry and Service Providers

Hamburg, 19. – 23.02.2007Lead Auditor DIN EN ISO 9001

Hamburg, 27.02.2007 Emergency Preparedness and Crisis Management

MARCH

Hamburg, 05.03.2007 ISM Basics

Hamburg, 06.03.2007 ISM Basics

Hamburg, 08.03.2007

Introduction to the System

of Maritime Regulations

Hamburg, 12./13.03.2007

Company/Ship Security

Offi cer Training Course

Hamburg, 13.03.2007

Ship Technology Basics

Hamburg, 14.03.2007

Hazardous Substances on

Board

Hamburg, 15.03.2007

Packing and Stowage of

Dangerous Goods

Hamburg, 19.03.2007

Maritime Casualty

Investigation in

Shipping Companies

Hamburg, 20.03.2007

ISM for Shipmanagement

Personnel

Hamburg, 22.03.2007

Bulk Carrier Basics

Hamburg, 23.03.2007

Bulk Carriers –

Technical and Operational

Aspects

Hamburg, 27.03.2007

ISPS Internal Auditor for

Shipping Companies

Hamburg, 28.03.2007 Dealing with the Press

Hamburg, 29.03.2007 Practical Aspects of Corro-sion Protection for Shipping Companies and Shipyards

APRIL

Hamburg, 03.04.2007 Bridge Design – Equipment and Arrangement

Hamburg, 04.04.2007Quality Management Co-ordinator

Hamburg, 17.04.2007 Oil and Chemical Tankers

– Technical and Operational Aspects

Hamburg, 19./20.04.2007 Shipping Basics

Hamburg, 19.04.2007 US Coast Guard Regulations for Ship Operators

Hamburg, 20.04.2007 The Change of Flag in General and Especially the Refl agging of Ships to the German Flag

Hamburg, 24./25.04.2007 Implementation and

Internal Auditing of an

Environmental

Management System in

Shipping Companies

MAY

Hamburg, 08.05.2007

High Speed Craft (HSC)

– Technical and Operational

Aspects

Hamburg, 22.05.2007

Shipping Basics for Banks

Hamburg, 23.05.2007

Quality Objectives and

Continuous Improvement

Hamburg, 23.05.2007

Passenger Ships –

Technical and Operational

Aspects

Hamburg, 24.05.2007

Waste Management

Hamburg, 31.05.2007

Ballast Water Management

JUNE

Hamburg, 05.06.2007

Port State Control Basics

Hamburg, 06.06.2007

Workshop ISPS Exercise

Hamburg, 07.06.2007 Container Ships – Technical and Operational Aspects

Hamburg, 12.06.2007 ISM Basics

Hamburg, 13.06.2007 ISM Basics

Hamburg, 14./15.06.2007 Shipping Basics

Hamburg, 19./20.06.2007 Company/Ship Security Offi cer Training Course

Hamburg, 21.06.2007 Maritime English Basics

Hamburg, 26./27.06.2007 Internal Auditor ISM / DIN EN ISO 9001:2000 for Ship-ping Companies

Hamburg, 28.06.2007 Introduction to the System of Maritime Regulations

Rules for Classifi cation and ConstructionOur latest brochures, rules and guidelines are available on request. Order forms are available on the Internet: www.gl-group.com > Client Support > Rules & Guidelines

II - Materials and Welding

Part 2 – Non-metallic Materials

Chapter 1 Fibre Reinforced Plastics and Bonding

Chapter 2 Wooden Materials 2006-11-15

GL Academy: Seminars in Germany

Germanischer Lloyd Aktiengesellschaft

Head Offi ceVorsetzen 35, 20459 HamburgPhone: +49 40 36149-0Fax: +49 40 36149-200E-Mail: headoffi ce@gl-group.com

www.gl-group.com

Division AmericasLloyd Germanico de MexicoBosques de Duraznos No. 75/605Col. Bosques de las Lomas11700 Mexico City, D.F.Mexico

Phone: +52 55 52450165Fax: +52 55 52450167E-Mail: gl-americas@gl-group.com

DivisionEurope/Middle East/AfricaGermanischer Lloyd AGPO Box 11 16 0620416 HamburgGermany

Phone: +49 40 36149-202Fax: +49 40 36149-4051E-Mail: gl-ema@gl-group.com

Division East AsiaGermanischer Lloyd ShanghaiRoom 1218, Shanghai Central Plaza381, Huaihai M. RoadShanghai 200020People’s Republic of China

Phone: +86 21 61416700Fax: +86 21 63915822E-Mail: gl-east.asia@gl-group.com

Mexico, D.F.

Hamburg

Shanghai

OE0

03 2

006-

12-0

1