The latest news from across the industry that ‘got us talking’
Welcome to our fortnightly news round-up! Take a look at ‘what’s got us talking’, a collection of topical industry news from both our marine and industrial sectors.
Scandlines prepares sister ferry M/V Berlin for Installation of Norsepower Rotor Sail
Following the successful installation of a Norsepower Rotor Sail on the hybrid ferry M/V Copenhagen in 2020, and a year of demonstrated results, Scandline has prepared sister ferry M/V Berlin for its own Rotor Sail installation.
When Scandlines decided to install the Rotor Sail on the hybrid ferry M/V Copenhagen in 2019. This decision was based on technical data from the provider Norsepower OY, a few shipping companies’ experiences’ as well as their own studies and calculations.
The Norsepower Rotor Sail was then installed in May 2020. Now, Scandlines has had more than a year to collect data on how the Rotor Sail works on M/V Copenhagen and what effect it has on its route between Rostock to the South and Gedser to the North.
Scandlines COO, Micheal Guldmann Petersen, commented, “We expected the M/V Copenhagen to provide a 4-5% reduction in CO2. That reduction has been met, so we have now taken the next step and prepared the sister ferry, M/V Berlin for installation.”
Red Diesel Removal Means Price Hikes – Here is How Telematics Can Help You Offset the Increase
The tight margins the UK construction industry has been trying to navigate its way through with rising labour and material costs are set to tighten once again. Now braced for the change in red diesel legislation, we look at the financial impact businesses are facing due to higher costs and higher theft, and how the adoption of telematics technology can offer a solution.
April 1st – this date has been looming over the UK construction sector like a dark cloud. It’s the day it becomes illegal to fill vehicle and machinery tanks in the UK with red diesel, leaving businesses faced with a fuel duty bill five times higher overnight.
This change in law follows the Finance Bill 2021, introduced to help meet the objectives surrounding climate change and quality of air. Low-tax red diesel makes up more than 15% of all diesel used in the UK, contributing to more than 13 million tonnes of CO2 each year. In 2018, construction in London alone was responsible for 7% of nitrogen oxide emissions. In short, the government hopes by restricting the use of red diesel, the construction sector will be pressured to source and invest in cleaner alternatives
So, what can businesses do to get control over tightening margins? Ultimately, it comes down to visibility and changes in behaviour – you need one to encourage the other.
Plymouth University partners with marine tech company
The University of Plymouth and marine technology company Sonardyne have agreed a strategic partnership to drive innovation within the UK’s growing marine robotic and autonomous systems sector.
The partnership aims to advance ocean data gathering technologies and platforms by leveraging the University’s academic resources and research facilities, Sonardyne’s acoustic and inertial navigation technologies, and the marine proving area Smart Sound Plymouth.
Under the new agreement, the partners will work together to evaluate and develop emerging technologies on the university’s fleet of crewed and uncrewed surface and underwater platforms, all underpinned by a suite of Sonardyne’s technologies.
This will include testing and evaluation onboard uncrewed systems loaned to the University by the Royal Navy, to support its research and development around maritime autonomous systems capabilities.
The partnership will help establish closer working relationships between the University and Sonardyne, including enabling undergraduate and postgraduate students to participate in the testing of cutting-edge equipment, as well as highlighting future career opportunities
“Nowadays, the role of women in fishing has expanded – women are still processing and supporting their fishing families, but are also fishers in their own rights, as well as entrepreneurs, scientists, managers, association representatives – and much more. Despite this increased visibility, there are still challenges to working in the industry, and barriers to entry.”
Netherlands: Three projects to share €300K to advance offshore floating solar sector
Three project consortia – involving technology developers Oceans of Energy and SolarDuck – have been selected to receive €100,000 each to further advance offshore floating solar industry in the Netherlands.
The announcement follows an innovation call, launched by TKI Wind op Zee together with TKI Urban Energy back in October 2021, to support organizations in exploring research and innovations in floating solar energy.
Three project consortia have been selected to receive €100,000 each, bringing together SolarDuck and TNO in the BOC project, Deltares and Oceans of Energy for the CeFlar project, and MARIN and SolarDuck in the WindForce project.
Flogas join forces with DTGen
Partnership set to help mining and quarrying businesses cut carbon and avoid diesel price rises
OFF-grid energy solutions providers Flogas have partnered with a leading standby power specialist, DTGen, to provide a complete turnkey liquid-gas solution for mining and quarrying businesses with on-site power-generation needs. The new partnership focuses on helping companies currently running their generators on diesel or fuel oil to secure a cleaner, greener energy supply, whilst also avoiding significant price rises from the red diesel tax subsidy changes in April 2022.
‘For a number of different industries, diesel-powered standby generators are about to become substantially more expensive to run due to subsidy changes,’ said John Kinstrie, head of solutions at DTGen. ‘This means mining and quarrying businesses are now actively looking for a lower-cost and more futureproof energy solution. Upgrading to cleaner liquid gas not only saves them significant costs and insulates against price increases, but it also reduces their carbon footprint – setting them on the right path towards a lower carbon future.’
