Bearings and seals News

Armacell, a global pioneer in flexible foam for the equipment insulation market and a provider of engineered foams, will present its comprehensive range of thermal and acoustic insulation solutions for the first time at the SMM (Shipbuilding, Machinery, and Marine Technology) trade show. The event, known as the world's major trade fair for the maritime industry, will be held on 3-6 Sept. 2024 in Hamburg, Germany. Armacell will showcase its innovative insulation and firestop solutions in Hall B5...

Technology group Wärtsilä will supply a fully integrated, mechanical drive, propulsion package for new 6000 dwt LNG-fuelled tankers being built for British fleet operator, James Fisher Everard Ltd., part of the James Fisher group of companies. The ships are under construction by China Merchants Jinling Shipyard (Yangzhou) Dingheng Co. in cooperation with design consultant FKAB Marine Design. The integrated package includes the high-performance Wärtsilä 25DF dual-fuel main en...

Vard Marine Inc. (VARD), a Fincantieri company, has proudly launched VIGILANCE, as their solution to replace the Royal Canadian Navy’s (RCN) Kingston Class Maritime Coastal Defence Vessels (MCDV) under Pillar Two of Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS). In conjunction with Team Vigilance partner companies - Thales Canada, Ontario Shipyards, SH Defence, and Fincantieri, VIGILANCE will provide the RCN with a lightweight and operationally flexible military asset that is highly...

International®, AkzoNobel’s marine coatings brand has announced that a new cable-laying vessel, the Monna Lisa, owned by Prysmian, is to be coated in the Intergard® 7500 primer and Intersmooth® 7465Si antifouling solution. This decision is estimated to reduce the vessel’s carbon emissions (CO2) by 672 tonnes over the dry docking period and lower Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) by more than 11 tonnes during construction. By utilising Intergard 7500, a high-solids un...

Future newbuild ships of all types should be built without a sterntube and with a seawater-lubricated propeller shaft bearing arrangement, according to Blue Ocean Alliance’s Chris Leontopoulos. Speaking at a recent maritime industry forum in Hamburg, Mr. Leontopoulos said the sterntubeless ship design – jointly developed by Blue Ocean Alliance members ABS, Thordon Bearings, Shanghai Merchant Ship Design and Research Institute (SDARI), Wärtsilä, and the National Technical...

PPG announced a collaboration with RightShip, a digital maritime sustainability platform, as part of Rightship’s Zero Harm Innovation Partners Program. The initiative aims to foster the development and adoption of innovative solutions to promote a more sustainable future in the maritime industry. PPG’s revolutionary PPG SIGMAGLIDE® 2390 biocide-free silicone fouling release is the only hull coating to be approved by RightShip’s rigorous product review process for the Zero...

PPG announced that EDR Antwerp shipyard achieved a 40 percent reduction in overspray with the electrostatic application of PPG SIGMAGLIDE® 2390 fouling release coating. The project was carried out on the underwater hull of the RoRo passenger vessel Stena Transporter from Stena Line and is the second successful electrostatic application project for EDR. PPG Sigmaglide coating Electrostatic application has increased transfer efficiency compared to airless spraying Electrostatic application...

Valenciaport has participated in the III International Forum on Marine Litter and Circular Economy – MARLICE 2024, held in the Veles e Vents building in the city of València, from 22 to 24 May 2024. Specifically, the participation of the Port Authority of Valencia (PAV) has focused on the session ‘Tourism and marine litter: strategies for a positive impact’. In it, the need to train and raise awareness among employees of tourism companies – shipping and hotel comp...

Gelose Marine Services Ltd. has joined Thordon Bearings’ extensive network of authorised distributors to further the ‘greening’ of Nigeria’s fleet of domestic and international vessels with more sustainable bearing solutions. Based in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria, Gelose has a diverse services portfolio, ranging from maritime security and vessel management to technical support, ship repair, and dry dockings with its own 400t ship lift capability shipyard. The com...

Fincantieri’s Sestri Ponente (Genoa) shipyard in Italy is scheduled to take delivery of Thordon’s COMPAC open seawater-lubricated propeller shaft bearing system for installation to the second ship in Oceania Cruises’ Allura class, which is scheduled to join the Miami-based company’s fleet in 2025. The twin screw Oceania Allura will feature three COMPAC bearings per shaft to fit propeller shaft diameters of 510mm (20.7in). The same scope was supplied to the 67,000gt first...

Danfoss’ new Universal Quick Disconnect (UQD) couplings provide superior performance and reliability for liquid cooling, ensuring peak performance for critical applications. Engineered for the precision cooling requirements of modern data centres, the couplings drive a strong return on investment through robust design, long service life and lower maintenance. Ideal for liquid cooling applications that use smaller hose lines, Danfoss UQD couplings are available in four sizes, as well as va...

The two new Construction Service Operation Vessels (CSOVs) contracted at Ulstein Verft will be equipped with a hybrid battery propulsion system and be prepared for green methanol fuel to enable carbon-neutral operations. The contracts have been entered into on behalf of institutional investors advised by J.P. Morgan Asset Management and include two additional options. In 2023, Bernhard Schulte Offshore ordered the design and construction of two such vessels from Ulstein, a contract that include...

Technology group Wärtsilä introduces EvoTube, a revolutionary and patented advancement in Shaft Line technology for marine propulsion systems, reducing risk and simplifying operations. While based on a conventional stern tube, the EvoTube is a significantly simplified system with fewer components than a conventional stern tube system.  The inboard seal is mounted directly on the aft bearing housing, and the forward bearing is replaced with a standalone bearing inside the eng...

In July 2023, at MEPC 80, the IMO adopted the '2023 Strategy on the Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships'. This strategy targets the adoption of near-zero GHG fuels by 2030. A pivotal factor in this transition is choosing the right coating for fuel tanks — it ensures longevity and maintains the tank's optimal condition. Shipping companies invest a significant amount of consideration into the choice of coating systems for their vessel's fuel tank interiors. A failure in this coating can h...

Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK) has joined the major classification societies to amend its rules relating to the inspection of seawater-lubricated propeller shaft systems. The amendment means that ships with open seawater-lubricated propeller shafts that are built to ClassNK rules are subject to the same 15-year shaft withdrawal inspection periods as oil-lubricated shafts and stern-tubes, subject to monitoring criteria. ClassNK amends rules for seawater-lubricated shafts The announcement brings...

Moving from smart talk to practical solutions and bringing stakeholders together will be the key themes of an industry event organised by Inmarsat, a Viasat business, in partnership with Smart Maritime Network during London International Shipping Week 2023. Staged at Inmarsat headquarters on 12 September, the conference will focus on the increasingly decisive role satellite technology plays in shaping smarter and more sustainable shipping. Highlight of LISW 2023 Headquartered Inmarsat has co...

Shipowners face an ultimatum in 2023, upgrade their Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) technology to comply with new laws or scrap their vessels. CII data from 2022 must have been calculated and reported to the Data Collection System (DCS) verifier and sent by March 21, 2024, and 30% of ships simply don’t have the technology onboard to do it.  New carbon targets The move comes as the International Marine Organization (IMO) in July announced new carbon targets, which include a 20% red...

When a 9,280hp workboat returned to service following extensive repairs at the James Marine Paducah River Service yard in Kentucky, U.S.A., it marked the first application of Thordon’s new seal-embedded bearing to an articulating rudder. Articulating rudders Articulating rudders are unlike conventional rudders and can be more costly to repair, when things go wrong. They are more susceptible to wear and tear, due to the higher operating pressures and abrasives, and as a result, require a...

Savvy shipowners are treating their vessels like super athletes-making marginal gains that increase commercial performance to the tune of £38 million over a five-year docking cycle. The shipping industry has seen huge technological changes in the past 10 years to help cut costs, including shark-skin coatings, air lubrication and self-cleaning vessels. But now shipowners, like Olympic athletes, are fine-tuning in a bid to shave off 0.25 percent to help improve performance, say industry exp...

With incidents on the rise, more needs to be done to address safety, particularly as the industry faces uncertainties related to decarbonisation and digitalisation. The analysis found that the overall number of safety incidents increased by 9% in 2022, driven by a 12% increase in incidents involving machine damage or failure. This highlights the importance of developing a better understanding of new technologies and placing equal value on human, organisational and technological elements, helpin...

Danfoss Power Solutions’ Editron division has been commissioned by Cheoy Lee Shipyard to deliver the hybrid-electric marine drivetrain system powering two new hybrid-electric ferries. Located at the end of the Pearl River estuary, Hong Kong is one of the world’s busiest harbour cities. Ferries are an essential transportation mode for the city, carrying 18 million passengers annually. To achieve net zero by 2050, Hong Kong plans to decarbonise its transport sector by electrifying veh...

In 2021, Waves Group was awarded the Marine Warranty Surveyor (MWS) services scope from Réseau de Transport d’Electricité (RTE) for the installation of two Export Cables for the St Brieuc Offshore Wind Farm grid connection, one of the first commercial-scale offshore wind projects in France. Located some 16.3 km off the coast of St Brieuc Bay in France, the wind farm will cover an approximate area of 75 km² and have a total generating capacity of 496MW. The 62 wind turbi...

In what marks a relatively new application for Thordon Bearings’ pioneering polymer material, Wilson Ship Management ASA (“Wilson”), a Norway-based ship manager, has replaced the greased bronze bearings on the hatch cover wheels of some of its dry cargo vessels with self-lubricating ThorPlas-Blue bearings. Wilson, which operates Europe’s largest short sea fleet of about 130 general cargo vessels, has now converted eight vessels following the success of the first retrofit...

A consortium led by zero-emission vessel provider - ACUA Ocean in partnership with zero-emission infrastructure provider and National Maritime UK Marine Hydrogen Working Group partner - Unitrove has won a multi-million pound UK government grant in a major push to decarbonise the maritime sector. The ‘Hydrogen Innovation – Future Infrastructure & Vessel Evaluation and Demonstration (HI-FIVED)’ consortium will receive over £3.8 million of funding to build and showcase...

It is not very often that a product released is capable to make a complicated task really easy and improve safety at the same time. MariTeam has introduced the OSW smartFit clamp shells – the ultimate solution for hassle-free hose coupling integration. With just three simple steps, users can securely and efficiently join their hoses and couplings, without the need for any additional tools or equipment, except for an Allen key. OSW smartFit binding system With its sleek design and user-f...

The electrification of HHLA Container Terminal Altenwerder (CTA) is entering its final round. In the future, the tractor units deployed on the journeys between block storage and the container rail terminal or the empty depot will be driven by battery power. In order to further reduce CO₂ emissions at CTA, seven new battery-powered tractor units have been ordered and will replace the previously used equipment that runs on diesel. This terminal process will therefore emit no CO₂, nitrogen oxide o...

Propspeed, the globally renowned innovator of underwater foul-release coatings, has announced that Propspeed has been proven to make vessels more fuel efficient, improve performance and offset fuel costs. Several Propspeed customers have monitored their performance data, before applying Propspeed and after, and have shared that information back to the company. Demand for fuel-efficient vessels “Seeing how shockingly high fuel costs these days are, boaters are looking for any way to make...

Thordon Bearings’ Egyptian distributor and integrated services provider Nefertiti Marine has successfully commissioned the water-lubricated Thordon SXL propeller shaft bearings installed aboard the 24,112gt ferry Daleela. The 1991-built, 400-passenger capacity RoPax, owned by El-Etehad International and chartered to Scandro Holdings, began operations on the revived Piraeus–Limassol route in June 2022 following an extensive refit in the floating dock operated by the Suez Shipyar...

Mark W. Barker, the first new U.S flagged Great Lakes bulker in almost 40 years, has successfully completed sea trials and will now begin trading throughout the freshwater lakes and river networks, with oil-free propeller shaft bearings from Thordon Bearings. Built in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, United States of America (USA), by Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding (Fincantieri Marine Group) for The Interlake Steamship Company, Thordon Bearings’ scope of supply includes a water lubricated RiverToug...

Thordon Bearings’ authorised distributor in Mexico, TZ Industrias, has secured an order to supply the Canadian company’s TG100 shaft seals, equipped with a safe return to port (SRTP) emergency seal, to a quartet of shrimpers operated by Pesquera Axel, one of the country’s leading fishing vessel operators. Bearings and seals TZ Industrias will deliver four 127mm (5in) diameter mechanical seals to the Mazatlán-based repair yard Constructora y Reparadora de Buques for ins...