Wave Farm to Create Hundreds of Jobs (UK)

Aquamarine Power’s proposed wave farm on the Western Isles could create hundreds of long-term skilled jobs in one of Britain’s most remote communities, according to figures published today.

The Edinburgh firm’s 40MW Lewis wave farm – which was fully consented by the Scottish Government earlier this year – could generate between 98 and 200 jobs during construction and inject up to £9 million a year into the Western Isles and wider Highland economy.

The project would involve installing up to 50 of Aquamarine Power’s Oyster near-shore energy machines along the north-west coast of Lewis. The company is currently testing their second full-scale prototype, the Oyster 800, at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney.

The figures come from an in-depth assessment carried out by Aquamarine Power using a methodology developed by consultants ABP Marine Environmental Research and Risk & Policy Analysts Ltd. A link to an early draft of the methodology can be found here.

The consultants were commissioned by seabed owner the Crown Estate, using funds from their Pentland Firth and Orkney waters enabling actions programme, to develop an objective technique which project developers could use to identify the economic opportunity presented to the UK by the wave and tidal industry.

Aquamarine Power’s study showed that their 40MW wave energy project in the Western Isles could generate:

98 to 200 jobs in the Outer Hebrides and wider Highlands and Islands during the construction phase, generating an estimated £4.49 million to £9 million gross value added per year;

23 to 37 jobs during the 20 year operations and maintenance phase, generating £1.3 million to £2.1 million per year.

The calculation includes all direct employees and contractors used by Aquamarine Power, indirect jobs such as shops, hotels and local services, and induced jobs created by the increased overall activity in the area.

The first two Oyster devices have been almost entirely British-built, and the study confirms that future machines could be manufactured wholly in the UK, with the potential to source a hundred per cent of the farm’s manufacturing supply chain within Britain.

“The UK is looking for success stories where British businesses can build on British innovation to create economic activity and jobs here in the UK,” says Aquamarine Power Chief Executive Officer Martin McAdam.

“Wave energy has been invented here, is being tested here and has the potential to be a home-grown global economic success. Our study shows there is the potential to secure all of the manufacturing, construction and operations and maintenance supply chain here in Britain.

“The vast majority of the UK’s wave resource lies in remote locations, where economic opportunities are few. Wave energy offers a real opportunity for these communities, even for a relatively small project. With hundreds of megawatts of wave power in Scotland’s islands there is genuine potential for the UK to capture the entire supply chain of this exciting new industrial sector.”

Lindsay Leask, Senior Policy Manager for Offshore Renewables at Scottish Renewablessaid: ”This study shows yet again that wave and tidal energy has the potential to create thousands of jobs across Scotland. Importantly, many of these new, skilled jobs will be in some of our most remote communities.

“However, we must not forget this is exactly the kind of prize that could be lost unless access to the grid is secured and connection charges for Scotland’s island-based marine energy projects are set at a competitive level.”

Councillor Angus Campbell, Leader of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, the Local Authority for the Western Isles, said: “The Western Isles are home to one of the best wave energy resources in Europe, if not the world, and our community is determined to maximise the benefits from this resource. At a time when the islands are facing serious structural disadvantages on account of peripherality, transport costs, distance to markets and so on, it is important that the opportunity to develop new industries and to create employment is grasped. We have worked closely with Aquamarine Power as they have developed their world-leading project off the Atlantic seaboard of the Western Isles and have long recognised the potential for local investment and employment through this project. Up to 200 jobs in construction and up to 37 long term jobs in operation and maintenance will make a huge difference in our fragile economy and we will continue to lobby for equitable transmission charges for the islands so that projects like Aquamarine Power’s can reach commerciality and contribute to UK security of energy supply. We must make sure that the UK retains its competitive advantage in this emerging technology which will have global application as it matures and as more maritime nations seek to address climate change issues.”

Calum Davidson, Director of Energy and Low Carbon with Highlands and Islands Enterprise, said: “We have been committed to the development of the marine energy industry in the Highlands and Islands for well over a decade, and there is no doubt that the region is now widely regarded as the global leader.

“Through the European Marine Energy Centre in Orkney, we have been pleased to enable Aquamarine Power to test and develop its Oyster devices to bring them to the stage when they can be put into commercial use, both in Scotland and around the world. Wave energy is still a relatively young part of the renewables sector, and this assessment underlines its tremendous potential to generate substantial economic benefits in some of our most fragile areas.”

David Krohn, Wave and Tidal Energy Development Manager, Renewable UK, said: “This is a great example of a leading wave energy technology, developed and demonstrated in the UK, having a real positive effect on the British economy. This methodology will enable marine energy projects to highlight the capacity for the industry to deliver real socio-economic benefits to the United Kingdom. We recommend the use of this tool to other developers looking to demonstrate the use of local supply chains.”

ABP Marine Environmental Research and Risk and Policy Analysts developed the methodology to look at all of the socio-economic inputs (both positive and negative) of wave and tidal energy developments in Scotland. It enables developers to gather all of the relevant information related to a project – such as materials and services used – based on standard industry data, and then runs this information through an excel-based spread sheet to deliver a set of objective, standardised outputs.

“The beauty of this methodology,” says Stephen Hull, Technical Director at ABP Marine Environmental Research, “is that it can be picked up and used by other renewable industries such as offshore wind, to demonstrate the positive impact their projects will have on the UK supply chain.

“There is real potential for other businesses in the renewable energy sector to show, in an objective way, the jobs and economic activity their projects will create.”

Press Release, October 21, 2013

Subsea World News:

Hydrex Team Performs Permanent Underwater Hull Repairs in Florida


Last month a Hydrex team mobilized from the office in Clearwater, Florida, to a 170-meter roro vessel berthed close by in Port Everglades to perform underwater hull repairs.
Despite the relatively small scale of this operation, it was nonetheless vital for the shipowner. It allowed him to keep his vessel out of drydock and avoid having to go off hire.
Hydrex on-site hull repair services include the renewal of both small and large areas of damaged hull plating.
These repairs can be carried out above or below water, according to the circumstances, with tailor-made mobdocks. Normal commercial activities can therefore continue without disruption.
These operations follow the Hydrex procedure for welding cracks and inserts in the vessel’s shell plating and they are approved by the major classification societies.
Permanent insert repair in Port Everglades
A cavitation hole needed to be repaired in the bottom plating of the ship. A Hydrex diver/technician team therefore carried out a detailed inspection of both the onboard as well as the water side of the affected plating.
Next the team installed a cofferdam over the area.
The cofferdam was modified to fit perfectly over the rounded shape of the hull.
This allowed them to remove the longitudinal frame covering the damage.
The diver/technicians could then cut away the damage and the surrounding area. Next they positioned a new insert plate, measuring 300 x 300 mm.
The insert was then secured following the Hydrex class-approved procedure for insert plates, using a full penetration weld.
An independent tester carried out ultrasonic testing and the repair was approved by the classification surveyor who was present during the operation.
The diver/technicians then refitted the frame and removed the cofferdam, concluding the repair.
Press Release, October 18, 2013


Source: Subsea World News

Shaft Seal Replacement- Any time and Any Where

DSC02693While cruising the Mediterranean Sea a cruise vessel encountered excessive water leakage on one of its propulsion shaft seals. Considering the severity of the situation, the client contacted Subsea Global Solutions to dive into action. Maintaining specialized equipment in various locations throughout the world and maintaining fully certified diver / seal technicians on staff, a full compliment of qualified personnel and equipment was efficiently dispatched to the vessel.

Subsea Global Solutions’ operations team worked together with the vessel’s superintendent and operations staff to develop a time line for this repair to ensure the vessel would remain in service and NOT be delayed in any port of call. This required Subsea Global Solutions to stage the gear prior to the vessels arrival. Upon its arrival into a port in Italy, Subsea Global Solutions performed all of the preparatory work necessary to support the shaft seal renewal. This preparatory work included the removal of the rope guard using a carbon arc gouging system. By using this advanced technology to remove the rope guard, minimal prep work is required to reinstall the same rope guard since the cut line is clean and straight. With the preparatory work being performed in advance of the actual repair, this minimized the required time needed to renew all of the affected propeller shaft seals.

DSC01708Upon the vessel’s arrival in Malta, Subsea Global Solutions’ team of expert diver / technicians dove into action. The specialized flexible hyperbaric cofferdam, Transhab, was installed over the affected propeller shaft seal. With the space properly de-watered and sheltered from the sea, a factory authorized and class approved renewal of the shaft seals took place. All oil and water lip rings were removed, the seal housings were cleaned, liner was inspected and new oil and water lip rings were “vulcanized” using OEM approved jigs, glues and procedures. With all the lip rings renewed the oil system was air tested, pressure tested and properly filled. The water lip rings were assembled around the propeller shaft, air tested and pressure tested. Subsea Global Solutions completed the job in Malta in less than 48 hours by re-installing the rope guard utilizing the groups class “A” wet welding procedures. Diver / Welders coded to Subsea Global Solution’s class approved class “A” wet welding procedures performed the welding on this critical component. By using coded underwater diver / welders to perform this weld repair ensures that at the conclusion of the repair there will be no notation from class on the rope guard weld repair performed. The vessel departed Malta on time with a happy crew and happy passengers!

Subsea Global Solutions delivers unrivaled service to keep your vessels in service. We remain the trusted service provider to the cruise industry in all ports of call around the world. We always remain available 24 hours a day and 7 days a week to support your needs.

Global Marine Exploration, Inc. (GME), the successful Florida-based treasure salvage company seeks to raise $12 million dollars to continue development of their deep underwater salvage division GME Deep. This effort is the next step in the company’s plan to rescue billions in gold and treasure from the ocean depths.

GME, in collaboration with world-renowned shipwreck explorer and archaeologist Sir Robert Marx, will be hosting a private investment event in Orlando, Florida. Investors will be treated to an in-depth look at the new age of historic shipwreck exploration. In this seminar Marx will explain; now is the time to get involved in this developing industry, and why GME will quickly become the industry leader. Marx has published 64 books more than 900 archaeological reports and articles on the subject of shipwrecks and salvage. He has been knighted in 3 countries for his work, which spans 50 years and 60 countries.

Recent advances in deep-water technology are opening up a trove of immensely profitable and previously unobtainable shipwrecks. GME’s use of Nuytco Research’s ‘DeepWorker’ submersibles and the new state-of-the-art ‘Exosuit’ one atmosphere pressure suit will position GME as the only organization in the world using these deep-ocean tools in treasure salvage operations. The Nuytco Research devices are currently in use by the US Navy, a number of international navies, NASA, NOAA and several other deep-ocean research institutes.

GME has created a lean and highly successful business model that is ushering in the next generation of shipwreck exploration and changing the face of the modern treasure salvage industry. Combining revolutionary technology with five decades of experience and a substantial database of shipwrecks, sunken treasure potentially worth billions will become accessible for the first time in history. GME seeks investors to expand its already successful exploration and salvage operations as part of their long-term strategy and planned IPO on NASDAQ.

Press Release, October 04, 2013

Curso IWS – inspectores de buques a flote

El curso IWS - inspectores de buques a flote se ha finalizado el pasado 27 de septiembre, con éxito, contando una vez más con la participación y la dedicación de nuestros alumnos. Fueron dos semanas intensas con clases diarias (teóricas y prácticas) y también largas horas de estudios extra curriculares. 

Agradecemos la participación de “NAVANTIA” que una vez más nos abrieron sus puertas, permitiendo que los alumnos realizaran un taller de prácticas en un buque. Los exámenes finales han sido concluidos con la participación del inspector de Lloyd´s Register que ha validado los procedimientos empleados por nuestra empresa. Las instalaciones del Instituto Zaporito en San Fernando, Cádiz, como siempre, nos han permitido realizar el programa del curso sin incidencias o retrasos.