Maximizing Cargo Opportunities for Bulk Carriers

The difficulties and weakness in the current dry bulk market are well known to all, and hopefully we are starting to see signs of a recovery in 2018. There are already increasing demands for multi-purpose cargo, containerized cargoes, special oversized and heavy-lift cargoes, and for steel coil transport.

Many bulk carriers as designed and delivered are not suitable for these types of cargos. Most bulk carriers are not considered suitable for deckload stowage, and often have missing or inflexible approved stowage procedures for coils, containers, or other special non-bulk cargo in the cargo holds.

Taking advantage of spot contracts for these special cargos can help keep bulk carriers occupied during these difficult times. Often very minor, and often no physical conversions are required to significantly enhance the cargo carrying potential for bulk carriers.

Existing non-deckload bulkers can be re-certified for deckloads by a relatively modest evaluation of the hatch cover and deck strength, bridge visibility requirements, stability reassessments, followed by a revision to the ship’s Stability & Damage Stability Booklets, Cargo Securing Manual (CSM), and Loading Program.

Steel Coils

Inflexible approved steel coil loading arrangements (often unavailable or limited to a single size and weight of coil) can be easily expanded to cover a full range of possible coil diameters, lengths, and weights to maximize cargo carrying capacity. Often a re-assessment based on the current, more liberal, version of the IACS-CSR structural rules for Bulk Carriers will lead to increased coil and innerbottom loading weights compared to the Class approval at the time of the ship’s delivery.

The ship’s CSM can be expanded to include these new deckload and coil stowage arrangements, as well as including more flexible arrangements lashing and securing special cargos, like wind turbine components, rail cars, etc.

Hatch Covers

Hatch covers have a significant strength based on the class rules for uniform loading. That will provide sufficient strength for carrying some containers on the cover, usually limited to about 25 mt per TEU, which is good for one tier of heavy containers or two tiers of light containers.  Container sockets can be aligned with existing hatch cover structure to minimize structural modifications. 

Main Deck structure outboard of the hatch covers is usually robust and thus strong enough to support container loads aligned with web frames with even higher stack weights than on the hatch covers. 

Herbert Engineering has experience in quickly developing and obtaining Class approval for specialized cargo loading and securing plans for a single voyage for any special odd sized, or heavy weight, special cargoes including the structural evaluation of load spreading, and sea fastening by welded clips and/or lashings. Herbert Engineering has many years of experience with container loading analyses of hatch covers and deck structure to maximize the allowable number of containers and stack weights.

Herbert Engineering is also involved in other technical and regulatory assessments for bulk carriers, including ballast water treatment planning and engineering, and 2020 Sulfur Cap compliance and fuel system modifications.

Please contact us at info@herbert.com for more information.

Marine Link Article on NSMV Published

Another article in Marine Link this month highlighting the state of the existing Maritime Academy training ships, but also reiterating the importance of the ships, not just to train new generations of cadets, but their important role in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. 3 out of the 6 ships were activated in the aftermath of Hurricanes Harvey and Maria.

Herbert Engineering Corp. has designed the new replacement training ships and funding to go further with new training ships is in the 2018 federal budget if it gets passed. Support in Congress is critical and stories like this help build that support.

The story can be found here.

HEC & Herbert-ABS Opens Joint Office in Houston

Herbert Engineering and Herbert-ABS opened up a NEW office in Houston, Texas right in time for the 2017 SNAME convention.  In addition to our European and Asian hubs, HEC is now evenly distributed across the USA from our West Coast headquarters in Alameda, California to our East Coast office in Annapolis, Maryland.

Rene Powell joined the HEC team as a Senior Naval Architect in October, 2017. He has extensive ship design and project management experience in offshore vessels and stability analysis.  Jesse Senkel, who handled the logistics of setting up our Houston office, has been working with HEC for over a decade serving our clients including APL Maritime and LMS Shipmanagement, Inc. One exciting project that he headed this past year was design and engineering work for Evoqua to adapt the Evoqua Seacure BWTS to tankers with FRAMO deep well pumps. 

Chris Licato, a native Texan and recent graduate of Webb Institute, is taking H-ABS to the next level. They celebrated their first HEC/H-ABS holiday party with an intimate gathering at a downtown sushi restaurant. Kampai!

Contact details as follows:

2000 S. Dairy Ashford Rd., Suite 575
Houston, TX 77077, USA
Phone: +1 (832) 300-0155
Email:  info@herbert.com

 

50,000 dwt Product Tankers for APT - Kinder Morgan

Herbert Engineering (HEC) was able to assemble and manage a cost effective team consisting of four key inspectors plus supplemental inspectors as needed for American Petroleum Tanker-Kinder Morgan for the construction of four 50,000 ton dwt product tankers at Philly Shipyard, Inc. (PSI) from start of construction on 2015 through delivery of the fourth tanker in November 2017. 

The team worked closely with PSI to ensure quality construction, high quality coating application and testing of all systems were carried out to deliver high quality vessels to the owner. All four vessels were delivered on time, on budget and without any major deficiencies and have proved successful in service so far.  HEC through use of its own engineers and its network of engineering relationships was able to supplement the inspection team as needed to meet inspection needs for multiple ships under construction at the same time. 

HEC technical management also provided assistance to the inspection team and helped provide solutions to issues that arose during construction, to ensure the vessels fully met the owner’s requirements. This included issues relating to damage to the main engine of the last vessel after arrival at the shipyard that required it to be fully rebuilt at the factory,  

Overall, HEC was able to deliver the full suite of inspection services to APT-KM at less than budgeted cost and at a cost significantly below competing proposals.   

GCaptain also featured an article about the ships here.

““Thanks for your teams hard and dedicated work on the project. We could not have done without the team you assembled!”
”

— David Farrell - APT Kinder Morgan

HEC presents Committee report on USCG Polar Icebreakers

USCGC Healy Breaks Ice

On Nov 17th, HEC's Eugene van Rynbach presented the findings of the report "Acquisition and Operation of Polar Icebreakers: Fulfilling the Nation’s Needs" to the American Society of Naval Engineers Arctic Day.

The report was produced by the Committee on Polar Icebreaker Cost Assessment of which Eugene is a member. The full report can be read here.