Engineering and Project Management
 

Year: 2021

Engineering

Bulk Loading Filters

Bulk loading filters, also called rock catchers or de-rockers, are used to keep oversized lumps of material from entering the bulk loading system onboard ships or drilling rigs, potentially resulting in damage to equipment or piping. The bulk loading filter is fitted with a heavy duty mesh (mesh hole size of 10 mm), located inside the package, which crushes oversized material or traps it into a small collection area for removal.

The package is fitted with Weco Wing quick connection couplings (fig. 200 or equivalent, other options can be identically accommodated) as well as pressure indicators located upstream and downstream from the mesh, allowing for easy visual identification of the operational condition of the filter. The package is also fitted with a pneumatic air connection (ball valve and check valve) which can be used to clean the interior.

 

The bulk loading filter package has been designed accounting for design pressures of up to 16 bar, and minimum design temperatures of -20ºC. Its introduction into the bulk loading system will impose a minimal head loss which can increase as the filter gets clogged, hence the importance of keeping regular readings of the local pressure indicators to ensure the package is operating in optimum working conditions. The size of the collecting mesh can be adjusted to other mesh hole sizes as preferred by the customer.

Besides bulk loading filters, we can design and supply other types of equipment such as bulk tanks or cyclone dust collectors.

Archived Blog Posts

Mooring System Management Plan

The 4th edition of the Mooring Equipment Guidelines (MEG4) issued by OCIMF in 2018 recognises that the management of mooring operations is a critical aspect of the management of ships. 

All new tankers, gas carriers and terminals are to be designed and built using the recommendation, whereas existing tankers should, as a minimum, develop a Mooring System Management Plan (MSMP) and Line Management Plan (LMP). 

As detailed in MEG4, the MSMP must ensure that the mooring system is inspected, maintained and operated in accordance with the original design basis. The information contained on the MSMP is in consequence ship specific, and is complementary to the ship’s safety management system.

MEG4 also contains a description of the Line Management Plan (LMP), including all the requirements for the way that lines are maintained, inspected and retired. Moreover, the inspection section should also demonstrate how and when the inspection should take place.

 

According to MEG4, the operator is responsible for ensuring the right development and implementation of the LMP. We can help with the development of both plans, please get in contact for more detailed information.

Archived Blog Posts

Improving Ballast Water Treatment Efficiency

Ballast water treatment is a critical aspect of modern maritime operations, aimed at preventing the transfer of invasive aquatic species and pathogens across different marine ecosystems. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) and other regulatory bodies have established stringent guidelines to ensure the effective treatment of ballast water. However, as environmental regulations become more rigorous and operational challenges persist, there is a growing need to improve the efficiency of ballast water treatment systems (BWTS). Enhancing efficiency not only ensures compliance with regulations but also reduces operational costs, minimizes environmental impact, and improves the overall reliability of the system.

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Engineering

Supply of Steam Heater Skid

From a project delivered earlier this year including the design and production of a low pressure steam skid compliant with Class requirements, to be installed onboard a series of gas tankers as part of a ballast water management system. The skid uses low pressure steam on the hot side of the heat exchanger to increase temperature of fluid on the cold side. Steam pressure and flow can be adjusted by the flow control valve, through the combined action of cascaded controllers based upon the readings of transmitters located on both circuits.

Steam Heater Skid

 

The skid uses low pressure steam on the hot side of the heat exchanger to increase temperature of fluid on the cold side. Steam pressure and flow can be adjusted by the flow control valve, through the combined action of cascaded controllers based upon the readings of transmitters located on both circuits.

Digital

Supply Chain Traceability

We are developing a supply chain tool to enable full traceability of certificates on a public blockchain, and focused on the maritime market. Currently running on Ethereum’s Rinkeby testnet, and hosted on a private network, it aims to provide a secure and reliable way to confirm the authenticity of a product certificate along its lifecycle.

Data is digitized at the time of certificate issuance, and stored on a public blockchain to ensure its inmutability and future traceability by third parties anywhere in the world, at any given time. Only authorized users (validators) are able to store the digitized data on the blockchain, whereas any party (authorized or not) can perform authentication and verification of the data at any later stage.

Material certificates can be incorporated or associated into broader product certificates so the whole supply chain can be traced at any given time during supply. As an optional feature, the authentication of a given product certificate can signal acceptance by an authorized party (ie, a purchaser in the organization) and automatically trigger a smart contract action (ie, authorizing payment or recognizing fulfillment of a contractual milestone).

 

While currently running on the Rinkeby testnet, the smart contracts will be redeployed at time of finalization so the final product will be running on the main Ethereum network, ensuring quick propagation of data as well as enhanced security.