Still waters: Make every day a calm day with the new Seakeeper

Still waters: Make every day a calm day with the new Seakeeper 2 

They say the best things come in small packages, and thanks to the all-new Seakeeper 2, you can now enjoy a fully stabilized ride on boats as small as 27ft.

Video on : Seakeeper 2 will make every day a calm day!

Visit : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCl0cekMZPk

The Seakeeper units were initially built for mega yachts with mega budgets, but Seakeeper had a vision of bringing this boat-changing, life-changing technology to smaller and smaller vessels.  The Seakeeper engineers have realized this goal and continue to shrink the Seakeeper units to fit in and revolutionize the stability of smaller boats.  The Seakeeper 2 is the latest release and the smallest to date.  It performs well in boats from 27’to 32-feet. Another crucial breakthrough was to create a Seakeeper that could be DC powered from a dedicated battery system and no longer require the use of a generator to realize Seakeeper’s benefits.

The Seakeeper 2 uses exactly the same active gyroscopic stabilising technology as the larger Seakeeper models but at a fraction of the size and price. That means you and your guests can experience all the same benefits enjoyed by dozens of Princess, Sunseeker and Riva owners the world over but in a smaller, more affordable boat.

The Seakeeper 2 is specifically designed to fit craft in the 27-32ft bracket, reducing boat roll by as much as 95%. And thanks to its compact dimensions, ease of installation and lack of any external appendages, it will work just as well on a high-speed sportsboat as it will on a single-engined displacement cruiser or outboard-powered pilothouse craft.

Measuring just 2ft 1in by 2ft 2in and 1ft 8in high, the Seakeeper 2 is small enough to fit under the seats or inside the centre console of most open-cockpit craft, while those with higher freeboards can usually fit it in the bilges. Nor is there any need for a generator, as the system is designed to run off the boat’s existing 12V domestic battery power source.

You and your guests will immediately appreciate the extra comfort, stability and feeling of security that a Seakeeper 2 offers. And because it helps prevent the rolling motion that induces seasickness, you can invite whoever you want whenever you want, safe in the knowledge that every day is a calm day on a Seakeeper-equipped boat.

The incredible stabilizing ability of the Seakeeper gyro is permeating the sportfishing and boating in general.  Those that have experienced it themselves on a Seakeeper demo ride either offshore or dockside are the true believers.  If you have not taken the opportunity to feel the roll eliminated right out of the boat, then you need to track down the nearest demo boat and try it for yourself.  In the meantime, you’ve got to check out the videos of people as they feel the Seakeeper engage for the first time. To find out more about how the new Seakeeper 2 works and to see how it could dramatically improve your boating experience, visit www.seakeeper.com

The Empty Container Challenge! Technology could solve re positioning challenges

Technology startups are focusing on reducing the empty container problem, a challenge that costs the container shipping industry about $20 billion per year.

FACT : At any point of time, about one-third of the ocean containers in circulation are empty, and the average container spends nearly half its life idle, according to recent research.

Most major shipping lanes suffer from systemic trade imbalances — more loads flow from producing areas such as Southeast Asia into consuming regions like North America and Europe.

Historically there have been fewer loads going back from the West Coast of the United States to China, to reposition containers for the next round of eastbound shipments. Containers pile up in ports such as Hamburg, waiting to be moved back to Karachi, for example.

The majority of costs come from relocating empty containers thousands of miles back to an origin point.

Is the empty container a major challenge?

For major U.S. ports, more than half of outbound TEUs moves are empty. At the Port of Los Angeles, the busiest North American port, 57.7% of outbound TEUs in 2017 were empty, according to Port Tracker data from the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association's July West Coast Trade Report. From 2010 through 2017, empties through Los Angeles increased by 35.2%, while loaded TEUs increased 13.8%. The story was similar at Long Beach, where container volumes grew 13.7% from 2010 to 2017, but empty containers grew by 40.6%.

Disruptions to traffic flow can exacerbate the issue. 

When South Korean carrier Hanjin Shipping declared bankruptcy in 2016, containers piled up at ports in Southern California. Terminal operator Total Terminals International brought in a container ship to move 4,300 empty containers back to Asia, out of an estimated 6,000 Hanjin-leased boxes in the region.

In July, the Nigerian Port Authority blocked access for Maersk Line and Cosco Shipping to terminals in Lagos for ten days due to the buildup of empty containers, The Maritime Executive reported. Lack of space for empties led to truck backups at the port, upsetting local residents. During the ban, 19 vessels were likely delayed.

The xChange officially launched in November 2015 and a number of the largest container carriers in the world are already active on the service.

Technology to the rescue 

Launched in 2017 as a spin-off of Boston Consulting Group, xChange created a neutral online market of empty containers that members can use to match loads and third-party equipment for one-way container moves.

"The benefit of the platform is that you are not limited to your personal network, you can engage with more than 200 companies right now," Roeloffs said. Users sign a multi-party interchange agreement that speeds up the contracting process by days or weeks.

xChange has more than 200 users on its platform, including ocean carriers, container leasing companies, container traders, non-vessel-operating common carriers and some shippers. The service covers 2,500 locations worldwide and plans to add more hinterland locations.

Users set their own rates and terms and conditions such as the container value and damage protection plans. Users search the listing for containers in locations where they are needed and with a destination close to where the container owner would like the boxes to end up. Over time the system learns an individual's search patterns.

Other technology companies tackling the Empty container challenge

The Port of Rotterdam has developed InlandLinks, an online depot tool. The tool shows empty containers available for use from where their current location rather than moving the container back to a hub or depot before being sent out for a new load.

Antwerp, Belgium-based Avantida developed reUse, a triangulation service that CMA CGM and Hapag-Lloyd recently signed up to use the program in Mexico, the first outpost in North America. A triangulation system manages containers within a transport company. For instance, if a carrier sends loaded containers to Hamburg, the triangulation service identifies a need for empty containers in Wolfsburg rather than them repositioning the container to Hamburg.

With the program, container users can request the liner shipping company directly move an unloaded import container for another load.

"Using an import container to go straight to your export customer without having to go back to the terminal is an advancement for planners and dispatchers," Kapil Garg, head of Inland Operations Latin America at CMA CGM, said in the announcement.

The direct move avoids waiting times at depots and terminals and eliminates unnecessary truck mileage, reducing transportation costs and the environmental impact of trucking. Avantida has expanded the platform to 12 countries, with almost 4,000 registered companies and an average of 1,600 transactions each day.

China's ban on waste imports for recycling

China banned importation of many common waste products for recycling. In 2016, China imported some 45 million metric tons of scrap metal waste paper and plastic, according to The Economist.

That trade essentially stopped when Beijing banned imports of 24 types of solid waste, and with bans on additional products going into effect in 2018 and 2019. The current prohibitions include paper and plastic waste steel and used auto parts. Pulp and waste paper were the single largest category of exports from the U.S. to Asia. Losing that trade has made it even more challenging to fill Asia-bound containers, particularly from the U.S.

While technology can make a dent in the empty container problem, completely overcoming trade imbalances is beyond its capability to solve!

India: IWAI 's initiatives for methanol as maritime fuel

To make shipping on national waterways more lucrative, Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) has taken up a pilot project to demonstrate methanol as maritime fuel, a top official said.

The nodal agency for inland waterways has decided to place an order to retrofit work boats and new cargo vessels with engines that can run on methanol.

“We are placing order for 3 work boats to retrofit engines and 6 low draft cargo vessels of 1,000-2,000 tonnes capacity to Cochin Shipyard that will use methanol as fuel with technology from Sweden after a go-ahead from NITI Aayog,” IWAI vice-chairman Pravir Pandey said.

Pandey was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a shipping conclave organised by the Bengal Chamber of Commerce & Industry here.

Methanol can be a game changer as the cost of the fuel is just Rs 26 a litre and the roadmap was shown by Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari, Pandey said.

IWAI is also working on fuel bunkering facilities in intervals of about 500 km on the entire 1,600 km Haldia-Varanasi stretch for ships on methanol.

Methanol’s volume is higher than diesel.

The design of the cargo vessels have been offered by DST of Germany that requires just 1.5 meters draft — a crucial factor for inland waterways’ success at least in the NW-I that stretches from Haldia to Varanasi.

IWAI has assured draft of 2.8-3 metres till Patna but further upstream there is draft issues which can be as low as 2 meters.

IWAI is also working on freight villages at Sahebgunj and Varanasi for which it has already taken land between 100 and 300 acres that will provide infrastructure to support volumes.

Freight village is an area where all activities relating to transport, logistics and distribution of goods are carried out by various operators. The concept is popular in Europe but new in India.