The Swedish Maritime Administration (SMA) is responsible for the Swedish icebreaking service and has conducted a pre-study on how the current icebreakers can be replaced. SSPA has supported SMA with investigations of different aspects, including forecast of future tonnage in the Gulf of Bothnia, evaluation of alternative fuels, alternatives for hybrid solutions, evaluation of different propulsion concepts and overall feasibility studies of different options’ capabilities. The results of these analysis are tools for decision-making. To support the decisions in an economic perspective, the life cycle costs of different key features were assessed.
If you are enrolled at a Swedish technical university and would like to carry out your Master Thesis project at SSPA, please send us an application before November 1, using the provided form. You can either propose your own project idea or select one of the projects that we suggest.
Sweden has decided to analyse the conditions for a switch to fossil free state-owned vessels. SSPA has under a frame work contract been awarded with the task to support the Swedish Transport Administration (STA, www.trafikverket.se) in this analyse and the development of a strategy on how governmental owned ships and boats can operate with lower or no emissions of fossil carbon dioxide.
Air lubrication systems are divided into three categories: air film, microbubbles and air cavity. In an article published in the International publication Ship&Offshore, issue 5/2018, we describe and discuss some practical aspects of each method. SSPA has been involved in numerous projects to develop and test different systems of air lubrication for decades. Our experts has carried out investigations on all these methods by performing tests, simulations and design consultation.
In a project together with Chalmers Sports & Technology, SSPA has contributed to the design and build of a racing skiff dinghy where 70 percent of the hull is made of biomaterials. The dinghy will soon compete in a three-day regatta against other boats representing universities all over the world. This dinghy is one of a kind. The sail plan is very large in relation to the boat, the mast height (9.5 m) is more than two times larger than the boat length (4.6 m), making it rather extreme. 70 percent of the hull is made of bio materials. The hull and deck are a sandwich construction with skins of flax fibre in a cashew-based epoxy matrix, and a core of balsa wood. The principles of skiff dinghy design have been combined with innovative, more environmentally friendly materials
As of September 3rd, Mr. Joacim Linder takes on the role of Head of Maritime Consulting. He will lead about 30 experts and consultants in three teams; Hull & Propulsion, Manoeuvring & Seakeeping, and Advisory. He is also a new member of SSPA's management team. Joacim has extensive experience in the maritime industry and has recently been responsible for the RoRo Competence Centre at Cargotec, MacGregor. He has an M.Sc. in Naval Architecture from Chalmers University of Technology.
Among all the factors on board that affect sleep and alertness, the impact of light may be less known. SSPA performed an overview, funded by the Swedish Mercantile Marine Foundation. With a greater insight about the effects of light; mariners can adapt new routines to improve their well-being. We can all benefit from knowing how to use light to maximise our performance, but it is even more important for mariners who are working and living 24 hours a day in a harsh environment where good recovery is important for safe operation and health.
The trend of reduced sailing speed, or slow-steaming, presents shippers with new, complex challenges. SSPA has together with Chalmers University of Technology and University of Gothenburg studied how the Swedish industry has met and managed these challenges. The study has recently been published in Journal of Shipping and Trade.
Have you ever reflected over the different types of bulbs chosen for yacht keels? Today there is no general agreement on which bulb type is preferred for different types of yachts and very little scientific investigation has been done in this area. SSPA and Chalmers have carried out a study, where the hydrodynamic performance of different types of bulb keels were systematically evaluated. A paper is published in the International Journal of Small Craft Technology (IJSCT), a RINA Publication
Sweden and Denmark has jointly developed actions to improve the shipping traffic in Kattegat and Skagerrak to be safer and more environmentally friendly. SSPA has supported the Swedish Transport Agency with comparative consequence analyses for the proposed new routing systems. The IMO Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) has now approved the proposal for new ship routes that will be in place from July 1, 2020.
Pollution in the ocean is also about the ambient noise closely related to maritime shipping and seismic exploration by the oil/gas industry. SSPA has been involved in numerous acoustic-related projects and continually developing various predictive tools, making them available to assist customers in solving problems related to underwater-radiated noise (URN). SSPAs experts are contributing with more research in this area. In August, a new paper will be published in the well-known journal Ocean Engineering.
Modern Finn dinghies are flexible in sections of the hull. The subjective perception of the sailors is that this makes the boat faster in waves. In a research project together with Chalmers Sports & Technology and Max Salminen, a two-time Swedish Olympic sailor and current World Champion, SSPA will attempt to verify this. We are now evaluating the tests that we have made with a modern Finn dinghy with a soft hull (Max Salminen’s own Olympic Finn dinghy) and a full-scale model built for previous rudder trials to represent a rigid hull. Can we verify that a soft hull makes the boat faster in waves? Is it possible for us to measure the hydrodynamic resistance between these two different hulls?
One of the research projects that our experts share knowledge in, is the EU-funded project EfficienSea2. Recently this project concluded the findings from three years of research of maritime digitalisation. The project has involved 32 European partners and has developed solutions such as the Maritime Connectivity Platform in order to create a more secure and seamless data exchange in the maritime world.
The GreenPilot Project final seminar, “Guiding the Way to Sustainable Shipping”, will be held 3rd May 2018 in Gothenburg, Sweden and all are welcome to attend. The seminar will include presentations of results from the project to convert a pilot boat to methanol operation, as well as presentations covering sustainable methanol production, safety and performance of methanol, and perspectives from ship operators regarding methanol operation.
The needs and possibilities of electrification within shipping is analysed in a pre-study, conducted as a Swedish collaborative project by Lighthouse, SSPA, Chalmers and RISE. This report is a synthesis of previous projects and interviews with actors within the shipping industry and closely related areas. The aim is to give an overview of the technical development within electrification of sea transportation and analyse parameters that influence the performance and costs of maritime electrification. The study also investigate the perspective of industry actors regarding their drivers for maritime electrification as well as existing challenges. Several project ideas has been formulated based on those insights.
There are multiple reasons for carrying out accident investigations, but the primary reason is often a need to gain a deeper understanding of the course of the events from both a human and technical perspective. From this analysis, conclusions can be made that may result in recommendations for decreasing the risk of a similar accidents occurring.
Legislation on the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) requires the determination of a “weather factor” – fw – reflecting the percentage of its calm-water speed that a ship can maintain in Beaufort 6 and corresponding waves. The higher the fw value, the smaller the speed loss and the better the ship will perform in a seaway. But how do we determine this unknown fw factor, and how do we strike a balance between accuracy and costs?
Manoeuvring performance generally features too late in the design process in SSPA’s experience. Sometimes shipyards have to face costly and time-consuming last-minute changes to the design (when the IMO standards for ship manoeuvrability are not met). And what if the manoeuvring performance is “too good”? Is the rudder too big? (Resulting in resistance that is too high). The use of a new method of CFD calculations enables SSPA to offer early-stage manoeuvring predictions with much higher accuracy than before.
MaRINET2, the Marine Renewables Infrastructure Network, is composed of 39 organisations who collaborate to progress offshore renewable energy technologies in Europe. It aims to accelerate the development of wave, tidal and offshore wind energy technologies and infrastructure by opening up access to 57 test facilities across 13 European countries. The project is now in its second iteration, and it is supported by the EU’s Horizon 2020 programme.
The Board of Directors at SSPA has decided to strengthen SSPA’s core business and to review the company strategy plan. As part of this process, the board has appointed Stefan Eliasson as acting CEO & President during the on-going recruitment of a new permanent CEO.
SSPA are working with projects on the development of innovative logistics solutions and energy efficient vessel concepts for increased use of sea transportation in general and inland waterway transportation in particular. Within this area, SSPA has a large role in two large collaborative Interreg projects, NÖKS II (ending in June 2018) and IWTS - Inland Waterway Transport Solutions (running until late 2020).
The Swedish maritime industry join forces to put together the best trainee programme for newly graduated Naval Architects. The trainee programme involves different actors in the Swedish maritime industry; shipowners, shipyards, manufacturers, classification societies, authorities and more. SSPA is one of the companies involved in this trainee programme. The application for 2018/2019 opens 15 December 2017 and close 31 January 2018.
The railway bridges in Stockholm city centre are to be replaced. Needless to say, this is a very sensitive operation and the Swedish Transport Administration wanted to acquire as much information about the problem as possible, as early as possible. One way of managing the impact of the operation on traffic was to transport and install the bridges over water.
It is a major infrastructure initiative to renew Sweden's icebreaker fleet. The Swedish Maritime Administration (SMA) has procured expertise from SSPA to support them with several investigations and the results are utilized in a prestudy. Our experts have conducted investigations and analyses within ten different areas in order to find answers of key issues and to support the decision-making process. In the prestudy, SMA concluded that the design of the first new icebreaker should begin shortly and by 2030 the five state-owned icebreakers, existing today will either be replaced or life-time extended.
Demonstrating new logistics solutions is shown to be an important step for gaining understanding of system prerequisites for commercialisation, both with regard to technical issues such as vessel design characteristics and cargohandling equipment, and social matters such as the importance of practitioner involvement and the evaluation of performance criteria.
The conflict in APM Terminals in Port of Gothenburg has led to a large reduction in volumes handled in the port. We can observe consequences within the supply chain and large companies across the country stress the negative implications in terms of increased cost as well as problems of sending/receiving goods on time. SSPA and the University of Gothenburg (School of Business, Economics and Law), will jointly investigate the consequences of the conflict from a national perspective. This knowledge will benefit both authorities and industrial actors.
In early December, the trade show Marintec China will be held in Shanghai. SSPA has participated in the exhibition on a regular basis for several years and it is an opportunity for us to meet our clients and partners and to make connections with new maritime professionals. Come and meet us at the Swedish pavilion if you are visiting the trade show.
The maritime industry is currently experiencing a significant increase of interest in battery hybrid installations for new buildings and retrofits. The driving forces include the current development in battery technology, potential for lowering operational costs, increased capacity of drivetrain and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
The 20th Numerical Towing Tank Symposium (NuTTS 2017) successfully ended on 3 October in Wageningen, the Netherlands. This two-day’s symposium attracts experts, researchers and young Ph.D. students all over the world to meet together to disseminate the latest results, work in progress as well as encountered challenges. Two experts from SSPA participated with their knowledge on hydrodynamics and the new tool Virtual Captive Tests (VCT).
A new bridge is being built in the centre of Gothenburg, Sweden. The Swedish Transport Administration is investigating if a traffic management system can be useful to minimize conflicts between different modes of transportation. SSPA has supported this investigation and our experts has performed an extensive traffic analysis based on AIS and ship data. When using our database of AIS-data we have the capacity to map, describe and visualize traffic patterns on shipping lanes.
The International Towing Tank Conference (ITTC) has an important role as a cooperation platform for all towing tank organizations. It gives SSPA, as an active member, an opportunity to influence the worldwide shipping community. At the ITTC’s 28th Full Conference, the Seakeeping Committee presented a recommended procedure for determining "fw". The procedure is largely based on work by SSPA’s experts. After a suggestion from SSPA, the conference took the decision to start up a new Specialist Committee on Combined CFD/EFD Methods that will run at least during the next three years. The Chairman is one of SSPA’s experts.
There is a big potential in optimising the construction of ships by reducing weight and steel. Transports can become more energy efficient and reduce the environmental impact at sea. To find out more, a pre-study was conducted in 2016 and now a collaboration is established. SSPA together with Chalmers, KTH and Stena Teknik will conduct research on methods for dynamic ship dimensioning and the understanding of dynamic loads on ships will be able to enhance. During the project, a vessel model will be equipped to measure structural loads, model wave tests, and numerical calculations will be validated against model trials. Stena's concept vessel Stena Elektra is chosen as a model vessel.
The EU-funded JOULES project recently presented its final results at a conference in Hamburg. SSPA was a partner in the four-year project, which developed simulation and assessment tools that were used to develop ship designs for two future scenarios (2025 and 2050), with significant reductions of energy consumption and emissions of greenhouse gases and other air pollutants.
Port operators are experiencing pressure to improve operational efficiency and reduce costs. One option could be to implement Lean Production concepts and thereby working with continuous improvements. In a collaboration between SSPA and Chalmers University of Technology, Value Stream Mapping was applied to four different seaport container terminals of varying sizes. Several improvement areas were identified and the project provided the terminals with improvement proposals to increase their efficiency, including increasing the collaboration between actors and consider to automate certain processes in the handling of containers.
Prediction and analysis of added hydrodynamic resistance in waves is an established research topic, with several accepted methods, but the study of sail aerodynamics in waves is an open research area. The unsteady aerodynamic behavior of sails in waves can greatly influence the performance of a yacht, by providing increased driving force in some conditions, but decreased driving force in others. SSPA and Chalmers are cooperating in the Sports & Technology initiative, with several research projects in sailing. The leading journal Ocean Engineering has recently published a paper titled “CFD prediction of steady and unsteady upwind sail aerodynamics”.
High performance in sports are closely coupled to technology. SSPA and Chalmers University of Technology are cooperating in Sports & Technology, with several research projects in sailing. A team with researchers recently visited a conference in France to present their papers. About 100 researchers was gathered at one of the sailing world's major conferences. Results and findings from the research projects "The Foiling Optimist", “The Paper Boat” and “Ranking of 7 Rudders for the Finn Dinghy” was presented.
The Port of Helsinki has recently published a safety manual on Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) bunkering procedures. The safety manual has been developed by SSPA in collaboration with the Port of Helsinki and the Finnish authorities. The safety manual outlines the safety regulations and demands that are required for safe handling in LNG bunkering operations, including ship-to-ship (STS) and truck-to-ship (TTS) operations within the operating area of the Port of Helsinki. The manual details the minimum requirements for shipping companies and LNG suppliers that wish to perform LNG bunkering at the port in a clear and practical manner.
Good vessel design will reduce the impact on the environment and have a positive effect on the financial life-cycle cost for the ship and its operators. This much is clear, but how do we achieve this? The answer lies in a correct interpretation and adaption to the operational profile for the trade or service intended for the vessel. But how do we ensure that this performance is attained? It is obvious that an icebreaker operating in the Port of Sabetta has different requirements for open-water performance than an ice-breaking LNG (liquefied natural gas) carrier operating to ports in Northern Europe or for polar research vessels or even exploration cruise vessels. They all operate in icy waters, but with different purposes and different operating profiles. What is most important, the consumption and emissions for a single design point or for the intended sea route?
Welcome to an international seminar on the 15th June, presenting the outcome and lessons learned. In order to reach the national target of fossil free transport by 2030, emissions reduction in the transport sector needs to accelerate on a technical and operational level. Several on-going and ground breaking projects are contributing to the development of different sustainability solutions.
The consequences of global warming may reduce the need for icebreaking assistance in certain shipping areas, but will also open up for increased sea traffic and offshore activities in pristine Arctic areas. This situation provides opportunities to reduce the carbon footprint from maritime transport through reduced fuel consumption in sea areas such as the Gulf of Bothnia and the Gulf of Finland, and also through favourable conditions for transoceanic short cuts in the Northern Sea Route (NSR). But it also entails considerable environmental and safety risks that must be carefully assessed and controlled. SSPA is currently engaged in a number of client assignments and inter-disciplinary research projects related to oil-spill risk assessment and safe traffic management in ice-covered waters.
A demo for investigating the opportunities for using waterways in the city of Gothenburg has recently taken place in Sweden. The DenCity project is studying how waterways can become part of the city transport solution. Cities becomes denser, more people, more goods and more waste needs to be transported. The waterways are almost an untapped resource in Gothenburg. There is a great deal of space available for transporting goods and waste, and moving the transport to waterways would relieve the pressure on the roads and reduce both congestion and noise pollution. SSPA will evaluate how the use of the city waterways could be scaled up and become a commercial solution in the future.
Students and researchers from Chalmers Sports & Technology and SSPA, has together designed and developed an optimist dinghy with supreme capabilities. By using a composite with added graphene, the hull is made stronger. Hydrofoils are added to lift the boat, decreasing drag and allowing greater speeds. After tests performed in SSPA’s facility, the towing tank, the dinghy was ready to be tried out at sea. By this project, SSPA has increased the practical knowledge concerning the particular challenges of construction, configuration and testing of hydrofoil craft.
We are all aiming to avoid future economic surprises, to “think first” and to make wise decisions. But unfortunately, economic surprises sometimes arise. One of the main reasons for this is that when a new product or system is to be acquired, it is common to investigate only the cost for acquisition, with ownership costs frequently forgotten. Thus, just one part of the life-cycle cost is considered. This well-known problem is often visualised using the famous LCC iceberg, which shows that the acquisition cost is “merely the tip of the iceberg”, and that the ownership costs are hidden under the surface, e.g. cost for human resources, training, repair, upgrades and disposal; costs that constitute the largest part of the total life cycle cost in most scenarios.
During the spring, several projects are performing demo tests with the goal to develop the potential of inland waterways and city logistics in Sweden. SSPA is involved in several of these projects and our experts in logistics and shipping have knowledge to share. Waterways in urban areas have unused capacity which could be used for transport of people, goods and waste. An increased use of inland waterway transport and city logistics can reduce the strain on the road network with positive environmental effects such as less noise and lower emissions.
Under contract with DSME (Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Co. Ltd), SSPA has been testing and simulating the hydrodynamics of the new DSME 1400 AIP Class Submarine. SSPA performed the model testing on a scale model, manufactured and equipped with propeller, active aft control surfaces and forward hydroplanes.
The second Marine Renewables Infrastructure Network (MaRINET2) program has recently been launched and SSPA is a partner. The aim of the project is to facilitate research test infrastructures for actors in offshore renewable energy, free of charge. The European Commission Horizon 2020 program supports and finances the project that runs from 2017 to 2021. SSPA offers four major test facilities, Maritime Dynamics Laboratory, Towing Tank, Cavitation Tunnel and a Simulator, that are well suited for marine energy testing.
The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) has procured SSPA to support with revision of technical information for CB90 (Stridsbåt 90H) and the support vessels LTRB (Lätt Trossbåt). The current technical information has become invalid and needs to be updated and modernised regarding content, layout and quality. Using the international documentation standard S1000D, SSPA will produce user-friendly electronic technical information customised specifically for each vessel. This project makes SSPA a part of raising quality and availability of technical information on-board, and part of making the amphibious systems safer and more available.
Ice-free waterways and harbors can be desirable during a greater portion of the year than what might be possible on behalf of nature. A possibility for suppressing ice formation at such locations can be the use of air bubbler systems. SSPA has just finished a project for STA Road Ferries (Färjerederiet) for proposing and comparing different design alternatives and pipe routes for an air bubbler system intended for a ferry route close to Östersund, Sweden.
The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) has delivered updated combat boats, used in the amphibious battalion. The project includes in total 29 combat boats (CB90) that will acquire so called "lifetime extensions". Recently twelve CB90 was finalized and the remaining will be delivered during 2017. The goal is to increase the combat boats operational efficiency and technical availability. SSPA supports FMV with general technical support and expertise throughout this project.
Sea Traffic Management (STM) is an initiative to establish standardised information sharing with open interfaces. Now the STM Validation Project, which is a continuation of MONA LISA 2.0, starts to validate the Sea Traffic Management concept on 300 ships and in 13 ports, testing real-time information sharing to authorized parties in the maritime transport chain. A large part of the work relies on AIS data processed with the SSPA EGAC (enterprise GIS analytics cluster), which capacity has evolved dramatically during the last few years.
The Swedish maritime industry join forces to put together the best trainee programme for newly graduated Naval Architects. The trainee programme involves different actors in the Swedish maritime industry; shipowners, shipyards, manufacturers, classification societies, authorities and more. SSPA is one of the companies involved in this trainee programme.
Max Salminen, a two-time Swedish Olympic sailor, aims towards the Olympic games in Tokyo 2020. To prepare himself in the best possible way, he wants to find out what rudder is the best for him and his Finn. To find out, he teamed up with Chalmers Sports & Technology and SSPAs experts in hydrodynamics and sailing to test different existing rudders.
Interest in methanol as an alternative fuel for meeting emissions requirements continues to grow, and there are currently both a retrofit solution for a large Ro-Pax ferry and chemical tanker newbuilding projects underway. Methanol is also a good alternative for smaller ships operating on coastal and inland waterways, but has yet to be tested in these applications. SSPA is coordinator of the project, “Sustainable Marine Methanol” (SUMMETH), which is focused on developing methanol solutions for smaller vessels.
Chalmers, Sports & Technology and SSPA collaborates with several Swedish national team sailors and Olympic aspirants for Tokyo 2020. Some of the sailors are students at Chalmers and part of Riksidrottsuniversitet. In the Olympic classes athletes constantly strive to improve performance. To achieve this, they can either make changes on the dinghy or the way they sail. The hydrodynamic experts at SSPA performs different tests in the 260 metres long towing tank.
Currently there is a strong drive in the marine business sector to increase use of alternative fuels for propulsion, e.g. LNG fuelled ships. To supply alternative fuel, ship-to-ship operations play an important role, since it is the only way to transfer required bunker volumes for merchant ships in reasonable time, when terminal supply is restricted to less than a handful locations on an entire continent. Introducing an alternative fuel in large scale requires that the risks are evaluated in an efficient manner. SSPA is invited to present a paper on the Gas Fuelled Ships (GFS) Conference, taking place in Hamburg, 16-18 November. The paper “Simulator based risk management for LNG bunkering”, presents a tool for risk assessment, based on simulations, which is used for development and evaluations of equipment, ships, ports, operations and guidelines.
The development of the BB GREEN Air Supported Vessel has been ongoing for several years. Now, a demonstrator called “AiriEl” has been delivered from the shipyard in Riga to Stockholm for optimisation and sea trials. This Air Supported demo vessel utilizes electric propulsion and the aim is to reach a cruising speed of 25 knots. SSPA has been commissioned by Stockholm County Council to conduct and verify the model tests previously carried out by SSPA for the prototype. The goal is new fast ferries that enables rapid and environmentally friendly public transport in cities.
If looking on this issue from the perspective of a potential ship-to-ship LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) bunker supplier or its client, the most important question is: - Under what circumstances and in which location is it possible to perform a ship-to-ship LNG bunkering operation with an acceptable risk level?
Lowering environmental impact, increasing comfort and control at sea, are effects and characteristics many ship owners and operators are searching for. The Danish shipyard Tuco Marine, in collaboration with Effect Ships International AS, Norway, has taken one step closer to these goals with an 18 metres carbon sandwich Air Supported Vessel (ASV) Soft Motion Demonstrator. The hull solutions has been tested and verified at SSPA.
The Ramform Titan launched a new class of seismic ship that is easily the most powerful and efficient in the world. They quickly recognized that the silent operations and wide stern made her perfect for seismic acquisition. The unique broad stern design and ultra-stable hull enables quick and safe deployment and the retrieval of massive volumes of towed seismic equipment.
The Swedish Maritime Administration (SMA) has procured SSPA to support them with technical expertise in a prestudy regarding a new fleet of icebreakers. The SMA is responsible for the Swedish icebreaking, and owns five icebreakers.
A recent article in the magazine Marine Propulsion & Auxiliary Machinery highlights the growing concern about environmental impact of ship noise emissions. Organisations such as IMO (MEPC), United States’ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and EU (MFSD) are addressing the problem. This has lately been brought to wider public attention through articles published by national newspapers, e.g. The Guardian in the UK and The New York Times in the US.
Marine Propulsion & Auxiliary Machinery highlights SSPA as an example of companies that offer services to help maximise both energy and environmental efficiency: “In addition to offering services such as ship design and hydrodynamics, safety and risk management and alternative fuels, the company offers a portfolio of energy efficiency and environmental tools and services relating to underwater radiated noise.”
A seminar was held in Göteborg to introduce the recently initiated GreenPilot project and present the status of methanol as a marine fuel.
SSPA is a partner in the project, which has the goal of converting a pilot boat to methanol operation to show how a methanol conversion of a smaller vessel can be carried out in practice and to demonstrate the emissions reductions that can be achieved.
A study for the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) on the use of methanol and ethanol as marine fuels has been completed by SSPA, together with sub-contractor Lloyds Register. The study evaluates the potential of these alternative fuels as solutions for shipping to meet more stringent emissions requirements.
The maritime industry is in the middle of a paradigm shift. It’s therefore with great pleasure that we like to announce that the Finnish Maritime Cluster project (FMC) signs a cooperation agreement with Zero Vision Tool (ZVT) to widen the use of the ZVT collaboration method for a safer and more environmentally, climate and energy efficient, while still profitable, transport at sea. A unique industry driven cross-border triple helix way to move forward together.
The Hydro Testing Forum (HTF) network has members of recognised hydrodynamic research organisations worldwide. The objective is to discuss in small expert groups the challenges of measurements with advanced equipment, discussing new methodologies for high-tech measurements and therewith improve learning curve and achieve good practices in an efficient manner.
What is the best possible way to limit the damages caused by oil spills in the Arctic? SSPA is participating in a major EU Horizon 2020 project searching for answers. Set to launch in March, the 3.5-year project will involve a total of 13 research institutes and companies from nine different countries. The full name of the project is “Integrated oil spill response actions and environmental effects – GRACE.”
In the NÖKS II project (Närsjöfart i Öresund – Kattegat – Skagerrak) SSPA coordinates a total of 21 partners in three countries (Denmark, Norway and Sweden). The project’s main objective is to contribute to a more environmentally friendly and low-carbon transport system in the region, while also developing and enhancing the maritime transport system and encouraging the transfer of freight from road to sea. This will be achieved by developing solutions, tools and techniques to improve the quality and environmental performance of shipping services through the development of cost-effective, secure, flexible and competitive short sea shipping concepts.
Developing the next generation technologies of renewable electricity.
The EU Horizon 2020 project PowerKite will design, build and deploy a power take-off system (PTO) for a novel tidal energy collector concept, the Deep Green subsea tidal kite by Minesto. The project has a budget of 5.1M Euros and gathers 9 partners from 3 countries. Over 30 months, the project will progress the state of the art in several fields: PTO modelling, electrical design, mechanical design, data acquisition, analysis and optimisation.
The entire series of five ships have been delivered to and accepted into full service by the Swedish Armed Forces and the Royal Swedish Navy (RSwN). The Swedish Defence Material Administration (FMV) have recently executed final delivery of the project. During the project SSPA has supported FMV with expertise and consultancy services in a number of technical areas.
The forthcoming GotMoS Conference on "Benefits to the society, maritime climate investments and job opportunities” will take place in Gothenburg, Sweden, on the 9-10 of November. Results from our pilot pilot projects, Pilot LNG and Pilot Scrubber, both co-financed via MoS TEN-T, where LNG infrastructure is established with terminal, newbuildings/conversion of vessels and scrubber evaluated and implemented onboard, will be presented.
The Final Conference on MONALISA 2.0 on 10–11 November will share the results from two years’ work with Sea Traffic Management and Safety. Presentations, demonstrations and exhibitions will bring the ideas and solutions to life.
The 18th Numerical Towing Tank Symposium (NuTTS) was successfully ended on the 30th of September 2015 in Cortona, Italy. Dr. Da-Qing Li from SSPA participated at the symposium and presented a new paper on prediction of under-water radiated noise and the symposium organization rewarded him with this year’s “Landrini Award”.
The Midway Alignment of the Bothnian Corridor is a vital, year-round maritime transport connection between Sweden and Finland. The project includes a complete transport system for both goods and passengers and was initiated by the city of Umeå in Sweden and the city of Vaasa in Finland. SSPA’s experts are supporting the Project Management team during the first phase, until the end of 2015. Some of the activities that SSPA are closely involved with are the project analyses, the concept development and the design of the ferry.
High performances in sports are closely coupled to technology, both when it comes to new materials and motion analysis. SSPA and the Sports & Technology at Chalmers University of Technology are cooperating in one of the sports, sailing. During Volvo Ocean Race in Gothenburg, Chalmers showed an exhibition with unique optimist dinghies. This was a result from research projects where the students made the calculations needed to construct the dinghies in different materials. SSPA supported and helped building the dinghies. The Sports & Technology initiative has attracted attention from the Swedish Television that published a story, when the students launching the cellulose dinghy, “Will a boat of cellulose remain floating?” This clip was filmed at SSPAs facility Maritime Dynamics Laboratory.
On November 7, SSPA presented the paper, “Hydrodynamic Optimization of Energy Saving Devices in Full Scale”, on the 30th Symposium on Naval Hydrodynamics in Hobart, Australia. The presentation was held by one of the authors, Keunjae Kim from SSPA.
On behalf of Brian Simpson, the European Coordinator for Motorways of the Sea (MoS), I would like to invite you to the forthcoming MoS Conference on "Sustainable Shipping for Reduction of Emissions". The Conference will take place in Gothenburg, Sweden, on the 18-19 of November. Opens at 08.30 day 01 and ends at 16.00 day 02.
To investigate the impact of the EEDI on ship design, RINA (The Royal Institution of Naval Architects) invited papers from naval architects, class societies, regulators, operators and researchers to be presented at the International Conference “Influence of EEDI on Ship Design”.
On September 24, SSPA presented a paper, “Improving the EEDI of a ship – There’s many ways to solve an equation”.
On 14 August, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI) and the Swedish Coastguard (KBV) submitted a joint report to the Ministry for Rural Affairs.
The report presents the results and recommendations of an investigation regarding a new research vessel for SLU/SMHI. Two alternative vessels have been studied; a new-build vessel and a conversion of an existing coast guard vessel, the KBV 001.
SSPA Sweden proudly announces the assignment from the Norwegian Public Roads Administration (NPRA) to conduct risk analysis and simulations of maritime traffic with different floating bridge and submerged floating tunnel design options for “Project Bjørnafjorden”.
NPRA is investigating a gigantic infrastructure project related to the 1,100 km long “Coastal Highway Route E39”, where it will be exploring the options for replacing seven existing ferry crossings between Kristiansand and Trondheim with fixed links. The fjords are both broad and deep, which requires large investments and larger structures than anything that has previously been built in Norway.
SSPA was co-hosting Swedish Maritime Day on 8 April. We participated in the afternoon session on Marine management, with the headline, “Decision support system for improving safety and energy and transport efficiency.” Our experts Lars Markström, Project Manager and Peter Grundevik, Vice President Research shared their knowledge from “Research in decision support system for improving safety, energy and transport efficiency".
High performance in sports is closely coupled to technology, both when it comes to new materials and motion analysis. This connection is addressed within a new project, a co-operation between the sports community, the industry including SSPA, and Chalmers University of Technology.
SSPA participated at the exhibition Marintec China 2013, in Shanghai, 3-6 December. More than 1,700 exhibiting companies from 34 countries/regions visited Marintec China this time. During the exhibit we had a daily half an hour presentation on “Green Ship Hydrodynamics”, at our stand in the Swedish Pavilion.
The Mexican Navy includes over 189 ships and they attempt to maintain a constant modernisation program. Last week, The Navy Attaché of Mexico Captain Aurelio Rodriguez, visited SSPA. The meeting had special focus on vessel design.
The 32nd International Conference on Ocean, Offshore and Arctic Engineering (OMAE 2013) took place in Nantes, France, in June 9-14, 2013, www.ooae.org/omae-2013. Heng Ran, from SSPA, presented "Auxiliary kite propulsion contribution to ship thrust” at the symposium about Ocean Renewable Energy.
The EffShip project began in December 2009 and is based on the vision of a sustainable and successful maritime industry that has a minimal environmental impact. The project has been co-financed by Vinnova (the Swedish Innovation Agency) and the project partners. The conclusions from the EffShip project will be presented at a seminar on the 21 March.
Effect Ships International (ESI) in Norway completed tank testing of its “soft motion” monohull Air Supported Vessel (ASV) or ASV Mono SM, which it believes is equally suitable for use as a fast naval vessel or as a ferry. A week of testing took place in the end of 2012 at SSPA´s towing tank in Sweden. An article was published at Warship Technology, a publication of The Royal Institution of Naval Architects.
When defined actions are conducted the participants of the Swedish-Finnish maritime suggestion “Make a Difference” will be co-financed by the EU via the Trans-European Transport Network. The estimated total cost of the work packages is € 2 494 000 of which € 1 247 000 will be granted. The organizations conducting the work are Preem, Sirius Shipping, Viking Line, DNV, FKAB, Swedish Shipowners’ Association, and SSPA.
The 29th Symposium on Naval Hydrodynamics will be held in Gothenburg, Sweden, during the week of Sunday, August 26 through Friday, August 31, 2012. The Symposium is jointly organized by the U.S. Office of Naval Research, Chalmers University of Technology and SSPA Sweden AB.
More than 100 of the world's experts in naval hydrodynamics will be coming to Gothenburg 26–31 August to discuss the latest in fluid dynamics and shipping. This year's international symposium is a joint arrangement between the US Office of Naval Research, SSPA Sweden AB and the Chalmers University of Technology to promote the exchange of marine research and innovation between countries. Bio-inspired design is one of the topics that will be in focus during the symposium.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) is responsible for regulation of international shipping, in particular to prevent from marine pollution. Next area to look into is the Wider Caribbean Region (Caribbean and the surrounding coasts), how can this area adapt to the same emission requirements as other Emission Control Areas (ECA), where the Baltic Sea region is an example. On behalf of the IMO and together with White Smoke, will SSPA conduct a LNG feasibility study, which in many ways is following the same structure as the one that SSPA and ÅF conducted for the Danish Maritime Authority in the the Baltic Sea region, but in a smaller scale. The most important aspect of the work is to identify barriers and enablers.
SSPA's has been working for The Swedish Contingencies Agency in the EnSaCo Oil Spill Project, an EU InterReg IV project. The assignment has been to generate material to harmonise a GIS tool which presents the environment sensibility for oil spill along the Baltic sea costs depending on season as well as looking into the avalable response resourses. A manual has been produced for how to plan, implement and evaluate such an oil spill response in the HELCOM area.
To read the Svenska Skeppshypotek's yearly report for 2011, including ZVT and it's Joint Industry Projects; SS 2011
Canada's newly appointed Ambassador Kenneth Macartney and the Honorary Consul Per Jessing visited SSPA yesterday. The meeting had a special focus on Arctic issues and environmental impact, since it corresponds to The Arctic Council's ongoing work, where Sweden holds the Chairmanship (2011-2013).
- The experiences and knowledge of risk management in Arctic operations as well as oil spill management in ice was discussed, says Jim Sandkvist. The recent study for the Maritime Administration to use the Swedish icebreakers as essential components of an international rescue team during the summer in the Arctic, was presented, he continues.
ACCSEAS is a new EU INTERREG North Sea projects designed to improve accessibility for maritime traffic in the North Sea region through a coordinated implementation of e-Navigation among the nations in the region. An e-Navigation test-bed will be created to demonstrate and test solutions. ACCSEAS will develop new navigation and communication concepts and the platform is designed to alleviate traffic congestion, bottlenecks and accident risks. SSPA will implement the SSPA Dynamic Predictor into the platform and explore the possibility of exchanging the information between ships and tugs. The technique will be tested in a simulator.
An interview with Björn Allenström and Peter Grundevik regarding the Estonia evaluation, the project DESSO and MONALISA is sent in the Swedish Radio P1 "Vetandets Värd" where risk handling and solutions are discussed. Link to the program POD/MP3 (in Swedish) sverigesradio.se/
Activity Leaders of the project are the Swedish, Finnish and Danish Maritime Administrations. The aim is to minimize the risk of running aground and create the most efficient route plan for each transport in terms of weather, currents, ice conditions, traffic and availability of berths and pilots.
With an aim to make framework recommendations to establish a maritime LNG infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, North Sea and the English Channel the Danish Maritime Authority (DMA) has chosen ÅF Industry AB and SSPA Sweden AB to fulfill a feasibility study and test of recommendations encompassing both technical as well as economic issues.