Page 45: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (September 2000)

MarAd Elects New Shipbuilding

Administrator

The U.S. Maritime Administration (MarAd) named Jean McKeever as associate administrator for Shipbuilding, responsible for overseeing the Adminis- tration's naval architecture, marine engi- neering and productivity costs. The position, which was created in 1999, melds MarAd's main shipbuilding-relat- ed functions under one manager.

Lynn Gear Plant Upgraded

GE Marine Engines will invest in sub- stantial upgrades to grinding, inspection and hobbing equipment used at its Lynn,

Mass., Gear plant over the next year.

The first production pieces to be pro- duced with this new equipment will be high-speed pinions and gears for the

U.S. Navy's current DDG destroyer pro- gram. "We've taken a 20-year step for- ward with this large investment in new equipment, which translates into long- term value such as greater grinding accuracy and gear reliability," said Bill

Gehr, manager Gear Programs for GE

Marine Engines. "With this sophisticat- ed technology, GE will be able to pro- duce quiet, more reliable gearing with enhanced load capacity by holding tooth tolerances within .00005 inches — about l/60th the size of a human hair."

The new CNC form grinding equipment replaces the generation grinding equip- ment GE installed in the 80s. This high precision machine will enable the use of a CBN cutting wheel technology to pro- file grind marine gearing.

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Saab Amasses Formidable

Marine Consortium

Saab Marine Electronics has formed a new group of companies in order to sup- ply the marine market with a total con- cept for modern applications. During a short period of time Saab Marine Elec- tronics has acquired the share holding majority in three companies with com- plementary high performance equip- ment within ship automation, tank cleaning, and ballast and bunker tank monitoring. At the same time, Saab

Marine Electronics has established marine sales and service companies in

Singapore, Dubai, Russia and the U.K.

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Millennium Slated For NNS Visit

After evaluating several alternatives, Celebrity Cruises has decided to drydock its innovative gas turbine propelled ship, Millennium, this November to perform work on the vessel's stern hull design. Newport News Shipbuilding has reported- ly won the contract, as announced at www.marinelink.com on August 31, 2000.

Millennium — featured on the cover of the July 2000 edition of Maritime

Reporter — is significant because it is the first ever cruise ship with gas turbine main propulsion. Soon after it entered service, a vibration was detected in certain areas of the ship under certain sea conditions. This vibration has been linked to the design of the stern hull. Shipyard workers will use the drydock period to attach a buffer to the aft section of the hull, which is designed eliminate the vibra- tion. Work is expected to take three weeks. Celebrity officials said that the unscheduled dry dock will necessitate the cancellation of one two-night and three seven-night Caribbean voyages. The company is continuing to review the matter with the ship's builder, Chantiers de l'Atlantique, and expects the bulk of any costs associated with the drydock to be covered by the builder.

Celebrity Cruises' president Richard Sasso likened the vibration to squeaky brakes on a new car. "It's not a safety issue and it's not a comfort issue, but, with a brand new ship, you want it fixed as soon as possible," Sasso explained.

Similar modifications will be made on Millennium's sistership, Infinity, while it is still under construction at the shipyard. Known as the next member of the Mil- lennium Class of ships, Infinity is scheduled for a January 2001 delivery.

PBCF Aids Propulsion Efficiency

Propeller Boss Cap Fins (PBCF) is a propeller enhancing device, which is designed to cut fuel consumption and exhaust gases by up to five per- cent while incurring no additional maintenance cost once installed. The unit, according to H.

Yumoto Manager of PBCF Div. Mitsui O.S.K.

Techno Trade, Ltd., is now operational on 720 ship worldwide. The PBCF rectifies the propeller hub vortex and recovers rotational energy otherwise lost in the propeller slip stream. Increasing pro- peller thrust by over one percent and reducing propeller torque by over three percent, the

PBCF reportedly results in fuel savings of up to five percent or compared to vessels oper- ating at equivalent speeds but without the PBCF, alternatively, a 1.5 percent increase in speed at the same engine output.

The PBCF is designed to eliminate propeller hub vortex, resulting in reduced stern vibrations, propeller noise, and noise contamination in marine acoustic equipment. It also reportedly resolves a number of rudder erosion problems.

The PBCF is a boss cap with fins made from the same material used in conventional boss caps and installed in the same way. This means the PBCF, like conventional boss caps, does not require additional maintenance once fitted, and can be easily replaced. A number of vessels, (oil tankers, containers, etc.), have been retrofitted with the PBCF whilst at sea.

When replacing conventional boss caps with the PBCF, no shaft design reviews are required by classification societies such as AB, CR, GL, KR, LR, NK, and NV.

About 40 percent of PBCF's sold to date have been retrofitted to running ships, the remainder have been fitted to newly built ships. By installing the PBCF at either the ship building stage, or during shaft inspection for running ships, extra shipyard costs can be avoided. The PBCF was developed jointly by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, West Japan Fluid Engi- neering Laboratory Co. Ltd., and Mikado Propeller Co. Ltd., and is now patented in 12 countries. In 1994, the sales right of the PBCF was moved from Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) to one of her subsidiaries. A few subsidiaries have held the sales rights since then, but in April this year Mitsui O.S.K. Techno -Trade Ltd., PBCF Division took over respon- sibility for sales of the PBCF. Through license agreements, Mikado Propeller Co. Ltd.,

Nakashima Propeller Co. Ltd., and Samsung Heavy Industries Co. Ltd. have a restricted license to sell and produce the PBCF. Mikado Propeller Co. Ltd. has sold around 310 units, primarily to smaller domestic vessels including pleasure and/or fishery boats. Nakashima

Propeller Co. Ltd. has sold 9 units to mainly medium sized vessels, and Samsung Heavy

Industries Co. Ltd. has sold 9 units to larger sized vessels.

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CRANKSHAFT GRINDING

While Installed in Engine • CRANKPIN AND MAIN

JOURNAL REFURBISHING

While crankshaft is in engine • ALL TYPES OF 0N-B0ARD

MACHINING Cylinder boring, engine top decks, horizontal joints, couplings, journals

LINE BORING OF MAIN

BEARING POCKETS

Laser and Optical

Alignment • METALSTITCH®

Repair of cracked or broken cast iron engine blocks

IN-PLACE MACHINING COMPANY

USA: International: FAX: 800-833-3575 414-562-2000 414-265-1000 24 HOUR EMERGENCY SERVICE...day or night, 365 days a year email: [email protected] Website: www.inplace.com