Biggest Challenges in the Shipping Industry Today

The shipping industry has dealt with its fair share of challenges throughout the years and is expected to face even more in the future.

Here are a few of the biggest challenges today’s shipping industry is expected to experience.

If you need valves and fittings for your ship, find out why the US Navy trusts CPV Manufacturing for all their valve and fittings needs.

Lack of Employees

While many believe that the outcome of the recent British referendum will provide some benefits, it could also lead to immense challenges within the global shipping industry. The biggest that they need to overcome is the possibility of losing maritime employees.

According to a recent survey, 39% of maritime employee in the UK would consider leaving the country and taking jobs overseas. The UK shipping industry is experiencing a shortage of shore-based operation workers, and losing more may result in more industry issues.

New Environmental Regulations

Stricter environmental emissions regulations help to deliver great benefits in the long run, but these could cost a series of short-term challenges for the shipping industry. According to a recent article, these new regulations depend heavily on certain technologies. The government may require companies to implement them to ensure that they meet the new regiments, but doing so will come at a cost.

Most of these technologies aren’t reliable and haven’t been universally approved. So companies may lose profit as they spend billions for technologies that may not even work.

Security Risks

Security risks have always been a challenge for the shipping industry, but today, they’re providing more issues to overcome. For example, pirates pose a bigger threat for shipping, especially since the number maritime piracy and armed robberies on ships in Southeast Asia and West Africa has increased.

Additionally, modern technologies could make ships more susceptible to cyberattacks. In a recent Reuters article, a NATO-accredited think tank said, “Increasingly, the maritime domain and energy sector has turned to technology to improve production, cost and reduce delivery schedules. These technological changes have opened the door to emerging threats and vulnerabilities as equipment has become more accessible to outside entities.”

Rising Costs

The rising costs of necessary materials could negatively affect industry competitiveness. The increasing prices may lead to higher costs of operation. Higher prices of fuel and parts as well as poor market conditions could cause serious issues in many global shipping companies. The Malaysian domestic shipping industry is already experiencing difficulties because of these higher costs.

These issues may appear as great challenges, but the shipping industry is resilient and is sure overcome these and future challenges that comes its way.

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How to Solve Common Workplace Hazards for Shipbuilding Workers

Common workplace hazards for shipbuilding workers can lead to serious injuries and health issues. Fortunately, there are ways to prevent dangerous situations and ensure safety during shipbuilding operations.

Here are some ways to address common workplace hazards for shipbuilding workers.

Ensure Ventilation in the Workplace

Workplace Hazards During welding operations, workers can inhale hazardous vapors like nitrogen oxide, cadmium, iron oxides, and manganese. These can lead to a variety of serious short- and long-term health concerns. One of these issues is siderosis, or zinc fever. It’s caused by iron dust inhalation. Symptoms include fever, nausea, and coughing and can last for about 24 hours.

Fumes from solvents, pigments, and anti-rust components in paint can also lead to health issues with short- and long-term exposure. For example, inhaling or ingesting lead-based paints can result in lead poisoning.

The best way to prevent toxic fume exposure is to ensure proper ventilation. Welding and painting in a well-ventilated area brings in clean air and reduces the amount of toxic fumes in the vicinity. Using respirators and hose masks when working can also help to reduce exposure.

Use the Proper Protective Equipment

When welding, the eyes can be exposed to radiant energy or light radiation emitted from an arc or flame. This can cause arc eye, or welder’s eye, which is an inflamed cornea. Symptoms of this issue may not appear until several hours later. When they do appear, your eyes may become red, watery, and painful. They may also feel gritty and be sensitive to light.

Workplace Hazards To prevent exposure to radiant energy, use protective equipment. These include goggles, a welding face shield, helmets, and safety glasses. However, regardless of which you use, it’s important to make sure that it has filter lenses that provide the right level of protection.

Equipment with filter lenses has shade numbers that indicate the intensity of light radiation that’s allowed to pass through the filter lens to the eye. If the shade number is higher, the filter is darker and allows less light to pass through. Simply put, items with higher shade numbers will provide more protection during welding operations.

Ensure That Operations Meets Safety Standards

By far, the most common workplace hazards for shipbuilding workers are injuries sustained when performing repairs and maintenance. Industrial tools and machinery used during these operations can fail, which can result in falls and electrocution. Many workers experience loss of hearing due to reverberant noise as well.

When it comes to machinery hazards, the best way to avoid injury is to ensure that everything meets industry standards and is used correctly. This will help to reduce failures as well as workplace injuries.

Workplace hazards for shipbuilding workers are common. However, they can be avoided with the tips listed above.

Read CPV Manufacturing’s blog for more workplace tips.

How to Prevent and Control Ship Corrosion

Corrosion has been a common cause of damage in ships for years. It can cause the body of the ship to deteriorate, destroy tanks, and much more. Fortunately, it’s manageable when you know how to prevent and control ship corrosion.

Here are a few tips that can help you to prevent and control ship corrosion.

Apply Coatings

One of the most effective ways to prevent and control ship corrosion is to apply coatings to parts that are most susceptible to corrosion, such as the hull. This area of the ship sits below the waterline, so it experiences more exposure to damaging salts and minerals. Applying two-part coal-tar epoxy and a vinyl tar coat can help to protect it.

The deck is also susceptible to corrosion, especially during adverse weather conditions. During storms or strong tides, seawater can wash up on the deck and lead to surface damage. Repainting the deck can help to remedy the damage, but it’s best to apply an alkyd and chlorinated rubber coating to ensure protection from seawater and everyday wear and tear.

Corrosion in cargo tanks is also common. This happens when the sulfur and water in crude oil mixes with water vapor. Microbes can also break down the tank’s protective coating.

To protect and preserve the integrity of the vessel, many have noted that new methods of coating can help. In fact, a Bloomberg article states that tanks with these coatings could save about $240 million in maintenance for 10 to 20 years.

Select the Right Materials

Ship Corrosion Corrosion can cause severe damage depending on the material of the ship and tanks. Many metals are more affected by corrosion than others, so it’s important to take that into consideration when replacing and building parts.

Stainless steel and plastics are more resistant to corrosion, and certain nickel alloys and titanium alloys are specially designed for corrosion prevention and ideal materials to ensure the optimum protection and longevity of the ship.

Following a Maintenance Procedure

With the proper maintenance procedure, ships are less likely to suffer from corrosion. Following a maintenance plan will help you to spot any early signs of damage and take the steps needed to fix the issue before the amount of damage escalates.

However, this can mean additional costs, but many have found a cost-effective solution through outsourcing maintenance. In the Bloomberg article, Matt Koch, the Marines’ program manager for corrosion prevention and control, said they save more because of a 2005 decision to outsource the maintenance of vehicles.

Protect Electrical Circuits

Keeping electrical circuits on your ship dry can help to prevent and control corrosion. To do this, use waterproof insulation around cable connectors.

Electrical bonding is a recommended as well. This method involves tying all underwater metals together with wires or bonding strips to bring them to the same potential. This prevents stray currents from causing corrosion.

Ship corrosion can cause devastating damage to any vessel, so use the tips above to help to prevent and control corrosion on your ships.

For more industry tips, read CPV Manufacturing’s blog.

US Navy Awards $62 Million Ship Maintenance Deal to BAE Systems

In a recent press release, the US Navy announced that it has awarded BAE Systems two maintenance and repair contracts for two ships based in Jacksonville, FL. These contracts have a combined base value of $61.7 million, which can be increased to $68.6 million if additional options are used.

Each contract will provide services and maintenance to two different ships: the USS Farragut and the USS Fort McHenry.

$32.5 Million for USS Farragut

Ship Maintenance BAE Systems received a contract for $32.5 million from the Navy to work on the 509.5-foot-long USS Farragut (DDG 99) Arleigh Burke-class destroyer on May 10.

The contract states that the company will drydock the ship and perform repairs on the tank, ventilation, auxiliary systems, and propulsion systems. The contract will also allow BAE Systems to preserve crew habitability systems and spaces. If needed, more work can be added. This will raise the value of the contract to $33.7 million.

Work for this contract will start this summer and is slated to be completed by January 2017.

$29.2 Million for USS Fort McHenry

Just days after the contract above was awarded, BAE Systems received another for $29.2 million to work on the USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43), the Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship. This is a 610-foot-long amphibious warfare ship located at the Mayport Naval Station.

Starting in July, they’ll provide phased maintenance availability and perform modernized work. They’ll service the ship’s machinery, electronic, and electrical systems. On top of that, BAE Systems is contracted to maintain work on the hull and provide piping alterations and repairs. Extra work is also available. If used, the contract value will jump to $34.9 million.

For this contract, BAE Systems is expected to complete the work by May 2017.

Other Navy Contracts with BAE Systems

Ship Maintenance While these contracts are fairly recent, this isn’t the first time BAE Systems has worked with the US Navy. In the past, the company was offered multimillion dollar maintenance contracts to work on the USS Iwo Jima, the USS Forrest Sherman, and the USS Hopper.

BAE Systems was also awarded a $29 million maintenance contract ($31.8 million with additional options) for the USS Gettysburg this past May. This states that the company will perform repair, maintenance, and modernization work on the Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser from June to December 2016.

On top of that, the Navy awarded a contract to provide additional missile canisters for the Mk41 Vertical Launching System.

About BAE Systems

BAE Systems specializes in ship repair, maintenance, conversion, modernization, and overhaul for the US Navy. They also offer services for other government agencies and select commercial businesses. In addition to their full-service shipyards in Jacksonville, FL, the company has locations in Alabama, Hawaii, Virginia, and California.

BAE Systems isn’t the only company that has had the opportunity to work with the US Navy. CPV Manufacturing has also had the honor of providing US Naval ships with high-quality valves and fittings.

For more information about these and other products offered at CPV Manufacturing, contact us today.

HASC Authorizes $20.6 Billion in Navy Shipbuilding Program

In April 2016, USNI News reported that the House Armed Services Committee has approved $20.6 billion in spending for the US Navy Shipbuilding program in 2017. This is a $2.3 billion increase from President Obama’s proposed budget.

According to a statement from HASC Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Randy Forbes, it’s “the highest level of shipbuilding funding since the Reagan-Lehman era, adjusting for inflation.”

Below is what the new, more substantial budget will provide.

Incremental Funding for Three Ships

Navy Shipbuilding The Navy will receive $433 billion to finish paying for an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer (DDG-51) that was partially funded in 2016. It’s planned to introduce the Navy’s first Flight III DDG-51 and will include new technologies as well as the new Air and Missile Defense Radar. This will optimize the ship’s ability to locate air and surface targets and ballistic missile threats.

About $856 million is designated to accelerate the LX(R) program by helping to build the first of 11 amphibious ships for the Navy. This was originally slated to begin in 2020 but could be bumped to 2019 with extra funding provided in the budget. If the ship can’t be built that fast, the money will be used to buy a 13th San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock.

Lastly, $385 million of spending will be used to buy a third Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). It was initially planned to be purchased in 2017 but was taken out of the budget in December 2015 when Defense Secretary Ash Carter cut the LCS/frigate program. The new LCS will add the ship ahead of the expected one-ship buy in 2018. It will also provide each yard with two more ships to ensure stability ahead of the frigate transition.

An HASC staffer stated that the committee is still for the original program size of 52 ships. They also mention that the committee will continue to push for more small surface combatants to meet global combatant commander needs.

Naval Research

Navy Shipbuilding The approved HASC budget for 2017 will also invest money in naval research for high-end weapons. It will fund the development of the MQ-XX Stingray (previously known as the Carrier-Based Aerial Refueling System).

According the USNI’s report, the committee would like to see strike capabilities incorporated into the carrier-based platform, but there’s no confirmation of its official capabilities as of yet.

The bill will invest in next-generation munitions as well, according to Forbes’ statement. Some of these may include Standard Missile-6 and Long Range Anti-Ship Missile.

About $20 million has also been authorized to support Office of Naval Research’s SwampWorks program to boost prototyping and experimentation efforts of technologies and concepts.

Capability and Capacity for the Navy

The new Navy budget, while substantial, does come at a price. As stated previously, the HASC denied many of the Navy’s efforts to cut costs. They rejected their requests to put seven cruisers into an inactive status while waiting for upgrades and maintenance. On top of that, their request to deactivate the Carrier Air Wing Fourteen was denied.

However, Forbes stated that even with these rejections, the bill tries to fund both capacity and capability. Plus it could help to set the Navy and the country for success in the future.

In his statement, he said, “With this legislation, we are rejecting further budget cuts, bending the curve lines, and making a down payment on the 350-ship Navy we need for national defense.”

CPV Manufacturing proudly serves the shipbuilding industry with valves and fittings that ensure safety during travel. Since the 1950s, CPV has equipped US Navy vessels with our high quality valves and fittings. If you would like to learn more, contact CPV Manufacturing today.

Hybrid Marine Power: Growing Trend That Benefits the Environment & Your Bottom Line

The future is now: Hybrid marine power and propulsion systems for workboats aren’t far-fetched. In fact, they may be essential.

Manufacturers have begun shifting away from fossil fuels and utilizing hybrid marine power instead. New emissions laws have caused this shift, and manufacturers are becoming more aware of their impact on the environment.

Reducing the amount of pollution in the air and water can be a significant change for the maritime sector.

New Emissions Regulations

On January 1, 2015, emissions regulations banned certain types of vessels from entering ports around the world because of their diesel exhaust emissions.

Meeting Emissions Standards

Hybrid Marine Power To avoid costly fines and meet emissions standards, manufacturers must utilize other fuel options.

Liquid natural gas (LNG) has become a proven and viable source of ship propulsion to reduce emissions and meet standards. However, this approach doesn’t meet the needs of all ships. For this reason, some ship operators consider installing hybrid power systems alongside their diesel engines.

For some large ships and submarines, however, these types of innovative energy solutions have been ignored and not currently widely accepted. According to Marine News magazine, “These methods are viewed negatively as part of a complicated and costly compliance process.”

These solutions shouldn’t be considered as such and should be a proactive measure that will lead to more cost savings in the long run.

Types of Hybrid Marine Power Systems

There are two main types of hybrid system: serial and parallel. Find out more about the different types of hybrid systems to get a better understanding of what they do and the difference they make.

In a serial hybrid system, the engine powers a generator and isn’t mechanically connected to the propeller shaft. In a parallel hybrid system, the engine is connected, along with an electric “machine” that operates as both a propulsion motor and a generator.

Marine News magazine believes that “parallel systems are more likely to win initial market acceptance because of a perceived greater reliability, as the ‘trusted’ diesel engine is still connected to the propeller shaft with the electric propulsion adding a redundant system.”

Hybrid Systems Integrated in the Industry

Some have already begun to integrate these systems into their crafts, such as the European Union-funded project HYMAR (high-efficiency hybrid drivetrains for small- and medium-sized marine craft). While they initially set out to develop an optimized hybrid system, they concluded that parallel hybrid systems would better fit their needs. After executing this project, the parallel hybrid system was installed, tested, and validated on marine craft.

It’s crucial to consider hybrid power to save money for your company while also reducing emissions and benefiting the environment.

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Improving Operational Efficiency on Ships with Air Lubrication

As the ship building industry’s desire to reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions rises, companies are doing all they can to execute plans and strategies that accomplish this goal. For some marine engineers, this means exploring renewable resources and alternative sources of energy.

One of these methods includes air lubrication, a system which reduces resistance between a ship’s hull and water in the ocean by using air bubbles.

Learn more about air lubrication, what it is, and how it can benefit your company.

What is air lubrication?

Air lubrication, also known as “bubble technology,” relies on producing air beneath the ship to create a layer of bubbles. These bubbles will then reduce the friction between the hull and the seawater.

The principle to this method involves utilizing a blower or system that will create the air bubbles and pass them in a symmetrical fashion along the ship’s bottom. This air is blown constantly and the system replenishes the lost air continuously to produce the desired effect.

According to marineinsight.com, “With the right ship hull design, the air lubrication system is expected to achieve up to 10-15% reduction of CO2 emissions, along with significant savings of fuel.”

What are the benefits of air lubrication?

The main benefit of the air lubrication system is that this method reduces the fuel that is used in the ship, which minimizes costs for companies. It also reduces CO2 emissions.

One specific company, Silverstream Technologies, has installed their own air lubrication system called Silverstream System. This system has been installed on the vessel of the Norwegian Cruise Line and improves both operational and environmental efficiencies including reducing emissions and fuel costs, and improving sustainability.

Marineinsight.com details that The Silverstream System “produces a thin layer of micro bubbles that creates a single ‘air carpet’ along the hull of the vessel. This reduces the frictional resistance between the water and hull and improves the vessel’s operational efficiency, reducing fuel consumption and associated emissions. The technology can be added to a new build design, or retrofitted to an existing ship within just 14 days.”

DNV GL even declared that the air lubrication system will continue to be a reliable method to make ships more efficient which will in turn reduce energy losses.

Adopting an air lubrication system within the ship building industry can have a significant impact on operations, expenses and supplies. Companies are constantly looking for ways to make their products greener. This system utilizes technologies that will continue to improve inefficiencies that companies are looking to find solutions to. Reports claim that more cruise ships will begin implementing the air lubrication system.

CPV Manufacturing serves the ship building industry with the highest quality of products. We understand that your products cannot fail, so we manufacture parts that you can rely on for peace of mind.

Click here to contact CPV Manufacturing for more information.

The Unsinkable Navy Ship: The Origin of the Subsafe Program and its Impact on Civilian Ships Today

Navy ship CPV Manufacturing’s products meet government standards and can be found in many areas of the vessels of the US Navy. These high-quality valves and fittings are used on the heavy-duty winches, the anchor windlass of the shops, the Freon-based refrigerator and air-conditioning systems, and the elevator systems that lift aircrafts to the flight deck and in the arresting gear that catch the aircraft.

The US Navy can’t afford to rely on a product that will fail, that’s why they’ve turned to CPV since the 1950s. CPV’s Quality Management System is certified in the areas of Design, Material, Fabrication and Testing and has been approved to meet the requirement of MIL-I-45208, SUBSAFE Level 1, EB 2678. The SUBSAFE Program was put in place after a tragic incident occurred and the USS Thresher was lost at sea in 1963.

Disappearance of Thresher

First launched in 1960, Thresher was the first ship of her class and US submarine technology with nuclear power and a modern hull design. During a deep test dive approximately 200 miles off the northeastern coast of the United State on April 10^th, Thresher was lost at sea with 112 naval personnel and 17 civilians on board.

The immediate cause was unknown, so the Navy restricted all submarined until they could determine the reason behind the loss of the Thresher.

The Thresher Design Appraisal Board reviewed the Thresher’s design and provided recommendations for improvements. The exact cause of the vessel’s loss is unknown, however, it was found that there were deficient specifications, ship building practices, maintenance practices and operational procedures.

Members of the navy attribute the disappearance of the Thresher to the following:

Thresher had 3,000 silver-brazed piping joints that were exposed to full submergence pressure. After testing these joints, results showed that fourteen percent of the joints were substandard. This indicates that possibly more than 400 joints were substandard and could have failed, resulting in the flooding of the engine room.
The crew could not access necessary equipment to stop the flooding.
There was saltwater spray on electrical components that caused short circuits, reactor shutdown as well as loss of propulsion power.
The tank blow system did not operate properly and the submarine couldn’t overcome the weight of water in the engine room.

Birth of the Subsafe Program

Nearly two months after the loss of Thresher, the Subsafe Program was created and has shown a lot of success. Between 1915 and 1963, sixteen submarines were lost in non-combat causes. Since the Subsafe Program, only one submarine has been lost.

The US Navy relies on CPV Manufacturing products to deliver high quality products to keep their vessels running smoothly, and these standards far surpass commercial requirements. All CPV products are delivered to customers meeting all standards of performance, reliability and quality.