LNG powered Cutter

Posted on July 8, 2012 by Chuck Hill

Recently a rather ordinary looking Norwegian coast guard cutter came to the port of Hamburg and created something of a stir. This little craft KV Barentshav (also here), seemed unremarkable, but its power plant was unusual. In addition to diesel, it could be powered by Liquified Natural Gas.

It has been a long time since we saw a shift in fuel for ships, from coal to oil. Now it seems we may be seeing the beginnings of another shift. The big drivers are reduced fuel cost and reduced emissions. The Norwegians seem to be the leaders here, but the US Coast Guard is not totally unfamiliar, particularly the M side of the house. the Dec 2011 issue of Marine Safety Engineering (pdf) had an article predicting that predicted that natural gas fuel vessels were coming soon.

This issue highlights another technology that is becoming more important every day, and that is the increased use of liquefied natural gas (LNG). Whereas, we previously considered LNG as a cargo, new MARPOL regulations for reduced emissions are now making it an attractive fuel source. It is extremely clean burning and is much lower cost than similarly clean diesel fuel. Marine Safety Engineers are leading the charge in establishing the appropriate safety standards needed for LNG fueled vessels, which not only includes the vessels themselves, but also bunkering facilities and waterways risk management.

Looking at cost, a study of the possible application of this technology to the marine transportation industry is available here: http://www.cleanskies.org/?publication=natural-gas-for-marine-vessels-u-s-market-opportunities (pdf). The study notes,

Based on the current forecasts, natural gas delivered for production of LNG is now at least 70% less expensive on an energy equivalent basis than marine residual fuel and 85% less expensive than marine distillate fuel. EIA currently projects that this relative price advantage will continue, and even increase, through 2035.

LNG does require approximately twice the volume for the same energy content and the infrastructure for its distribution is still limited. Currently engines designed to burn LNG are built by Wartsila, Rolls-Royce, and Mitsubishi. Some of these engines are duel fuel, burning either LNG or conventional diesel fuel.

Considering

the US has ample supplies of natural gas,
it may be less than half the cost on a per energy unit basis,
that its use reduces maintenance costs,
LNG is more environmentally friendly, and
the possibility of duel fuel makes this option more practical.

Perhaps the Coast Guard may want to think about powering some of its assets with LNG. When the replacement for the 87 foot WPB is planned, it might be worth a look. They fit the profile of good candidates for LNG since they will normally return to the same base to be refueled. Extending usage to road vehicle and support equipment would amortize the cost of providing the infrastructure and make this option even more attractive.

High Latitude Region Mission Analysis Study–Summary of Summary

Posted on March 17, 2012 by Chuck Hill

Thanks to the Coast Guard and http://www.fiercehomelandsecurity.co m, we have a summary of the”High Latitude Region Mission Analysis,” that was given to Congress last year. You can get see it in the form of a pfd here.

Bottom line:

The Coast Guard requires three heavy and three medium icebreakers to fulfill its statutory missions.
Naval Operations Concept 2010 (NOC 2010) included a requirement for a year-round continuous heavy icebreaker presence in both the Arctic and Antarctic. The Coast Guard would require six heavy and four medium icebreakers to fulfill its statutory missions and maintain that continuous presence, if they are all conventionally manned and based in the US.
Using multiple crewing and basing two heavy icebreakers in the southern hemisphere (presumably Australia or New Zealand) both statutory and NOC requirements could be met by four heavy and two medium icebreakers.

How soon?:

“U.S. Sen. Mark Begich says the Coast Guard is including $860 million in its five-year budget plan for a new heavy polar icebreaker.”

Even so, we probably will not see a new icebreaker before 2020. POLAR STAR commenced a major refit in May 2010 and is expected to return to service in late 2013, with a 6- to 7-year remaining service life. The Coast Guard’s only medium icebreaker, HEALY, will remain in-service until 2030. POLAR SEA is inoperative and is expected to be decommissioned this year.

So one operational icebreaker until 2013. One heavy and one medium icebreaker 2013-2019. In 2020, POLAR SEA goes away and we are still at one heavy and one medium. Any Catastrophic failure and we are back to only one icebreaker.

If we completed one heavy or medium icebreakers a year, by 2025, the Coast Guard could have the fleet required to meet our statutory responsibilities. Since we would be building OPCs concurrently, this would require a substantial increase in AC&I funding.

A final note: It is not clear from the summary what constitutes a medium icebreaker. (Maybe it is in the full report.) HEALY is identified as “medium” and the POLAR SEA is “heavy,” even if the HEALY is actually larger. Presumably “medium” is less capable, as an icebreaker, than the POLAR class but more capable than the 140 foot icebreaking tugs. Would the MACKINAW (WLBB-30) qualify? How about the 225 foot JUNIPER class WLBs? the old WIND class breakers? the Canadian Arctic Offshore Patrol Vessels? One clue is that the projected price starts at $590M for a single ship and goes down to less than $560M each for four ships. That is about 69% the cost of a heavy icebreaker so presumably about 70% the displacement–larger than USCGC_Glacier (WAGB-4). Would there really be a point in making one or two ships of a different class, if they so close in size to the Heavy icebreakers?

State of the Coast Guard Address/New Standing Orders (Pub 3)

Posted on February 23, 2012 by Chuck Hill

The Commandant issued his State of the Coast Guard address today. You can access it here. I had trouble with the video, but the text is also there (Remarks from ADM Robert Papp (14 pages – 178.93KB)). It is a good speech, as you might expect. He spoke from Alameda, recognizing the increasing importance of the Pacific and the Arctic that together constitutes approximately 84% of the US EEZ.

It is worth the read. There weren’t too many operational specifics but there was reference one specific planned future operation, seasonal deployment of the Bertholf and buoy tenders to the Arctic.

The same page has a pdf download for what the Commandant likened to standing order, Coast Guard Publication 3-0 (Pub 3), Operations (56 pages – 5.55 MB).

What Might Coast Guard Cutters do in Wartime? Part 2, Coast Guard Roles

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Chuck Hill

This is the second of two parts. The first part focusing on what I believe are the current shortfalls in the US Navy force structure is here.

Since part one, additional cuts to the Navy’s plans have been announce. Attack submarines which have an important ASW role are now expected to decline from a current 55 to 40 in 2030 and all SSGNs will be removed from service. Additionally the Navy will prematurely retire seven cruisers and two amphibious warfare ships. The planned five year building program is going from 57 ships to 41.

Now we will look more closely at what Coast Guard Cutters may be called upon to do in future conflicts, what changes to our existing force might be prudent, and desirable characteristics for future cutters. Continue reading →

Chinese F/Vs Resist S. Korean CG Enforcement

Posted on December 1, 2011 by Chuck Hill

Some Chinese fishing vessels have used an unusual tactic in an attempt to resist fishery enforcement by the S. Korean Coast Guard in the Yellow Sea–at least ten F/V shoulder to shoulder. Pictures have to be seen.

Asia Security Watch comments by Craig Scanlan are here.

Piracy Update, 20 November, 2011

Posted on November 20, 2011 by Chuck Hill

Somalia/Gulf of Aden/Indian Ocean:

NATO Reports show at least three attacks and at least three incidents of vessels being approached in a suspicious manner by skiffs that appeared to be pirates, but there were no successful attacks reported.

INS Suvarna, sister ship of INS Sukanya. Photo: INS SuvarnaM. Mazumdar/ Bharat-Rakshak. Original uploader was Mittal.fdk at en.wikipedia. Permission: CC-BY-SA-3.0.

India continues to deal aggressively with pirates. “The Hindu” reports the actions of the INS Sukanya (1,890 tons full load, 331′ loa) when five skiffs approached vessels in the five ship convoy she was escorting,

“While two of them managed to escape, INS Sukanya successfully intercepted the remaining three boats and…nabbed 26 Somali pirates with six AK 47 rifles, 12 magazines and about 300 rounds of ammunition.

“This is the fifth successful anti-piracy operation conducted by INS Sukanya in the course of her ongoing patrol mission in the Gulf of Aden that commenced in September, the Navy said.”

The uncertainty introduced by the Kenyan invasion of Southern Somalia is having an effect on the ransom pirates are demanding for the ships and crews they currently hold. Ransom demands have been cut as the pirates hope to “close the deal.”

There are reports that Ethiopia has also moved troops into Somalia to support the Kenyan invasion.

While Kenya and Ethiopia move against Al Shabaab rebels in the South, there is a report the locals in Puntland are moving against pirates enclaves in the Northeast.

Nigeria/Gulf of Guinea

gCaptain reports three people were kidnapped after eight armed men boarded an offshore supply vessel, the MV C-Endeavour, belonging to Edison Chouest Offshore, off the coast of Nigeria. The report came by email from Kurt Glaubitz, a spokesman for Chevron.

Mekong River:

The attack that left 13 Chinese dead, reported in the last update, has resulted in China dispatching up to 1,000 armed police to work in the territory of Burma, Thailand, and Laos, to protect its trade on the Mekong.

Armed Security Guards:

The Marine Log reports H.R. 2838, the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2011, that recently passed the U.S. House of Representatives, “…strengthens existing authorities against piracy, as well as improves an existing training program to instruct mariners on acceptable use of force against pirates. It authorizes armed security on vessels carrying government impelled cargo through high risk waters, and includes a report on ways to improve U.S. efforts to track ransom payments and the movement of money through Somali piracy networks.

“‘Somali pirates have vastly expanded the range of their attacks on merchant vessels. But even more alarming, the pirates have dramatically increased the number and viciousness of their attacks in recent months,’ said LoBiondo (Coast Guard Subcommittee Chairman Frank A. LoBiondo (R-NJ). ‘To protect American seafarers, this legislation will strengthen an existing training program on use of force against pirates. Additionally, it will provide authority for government agencies to reimburse shippers for armed security aboard vessels carrying U.S. aid to the region.‘”

The Maritime Executive reports there is a growing consensus in the US, that failure to provide armed security may open up ship owners to legal liability for failure to provide seaman with a safe working environment and a seaworthy vessel.

Elsewhere authorities remain unconvinced. The Netherlands is telling its ship owners that, if they use private armed security guards, they could be subject to criminal prosecution.

“Jumbo Shipping from Rotterdam and Vroon Shipping based in Breskens have both said they will carry armed guards while sailing under the Dutch flag.

“The ministry of defence has set up special teams to help combat the threat of piracy but the shipping firms say this is not a solution. ‘You have to order them six weeks in advance and we cannot work like that,’ the Jumbo spokesman said.

“Denmark, Spain, Norway and Britain do allow shipping firms to use private security guards while travelling close to the Somali coast.”

The Melting Arctic

Posted on May 25, 2011 by Chuck Hill

Some interesting commentary here (Science Progress, “The Arctic Sea Ice Death Spiral Continues,” by Joe Romm).

Arctic sea ice volume by month in cubic kilometers (with simple quadratic trend lines projecting to zero volume, details here). The bottom (red) line is September volume.

A couple of interesting statements included,

In November, Rear Admiral David Titley, the Oceanographer of the Navy, testified that “the volume of ice as of last September has never been lower…in the last several thousand years.” Titley, who is also the Director of Navy’s Task Force Climate Change, said he has told the Chief of Naval Operations that “we expect to see four weeks of basically ice free conditions in the mid to late 2030s.”

Wieslaw Maslowski of the Naval Postgraduate School has “projected a (virtually) ice-free fall by 2016 (+/- 3 yrs).”

While I don’t think this means we won’t need new icebreakers, it may mean we will need Arctic Patrol Cutters sooner than we think.

Coast Guard Year in Review, USNI, May 2011

Posted on May 19, 2011 by Chuck Hill

The Naval Institute has published their annual Naval Review Issue and their Coast Guard Review, By Joe DiRenzo III and Chris Doane, is available on line. Probably nothing startlingly different if you are a regular reader, but a good summary.

Eagle Cruise Facebook Page Photos

Posted on May 18, 2011 by Chuck Hill

Some great photos of Eagle’s European training cruise are available on Facebook. They have already encountered some nasty weather that blew out some sails and did some minor damage (see #46). Check it out here. Looks like additional photos will be added over the duration of the cruise. Just clicking on the photos allows you to page through them quickly.

UNITAS Photo/Exercise

Posted on May 7, 2011 by Chuck Hill

Nice photo of Escanaba in formation with Argentine and Brazilian frigates as part of UNITAS (Thanks Lee).

110504-N-ZI300-376 ATLANTIC OCEAN (May 4, 2011) The U.S. Coast Guard cutter USCGC Escanaba (WMEC 907), Brazlian navy ship BNS Bosisio (F 48) and Argentinian navy ship ANS Almirante Brown (F 10) move into formation for a photo exercise during the Atlantic phase of UNITAS 52. The formation included a total of ten ships from the U.S., Brazil, Mexico and Argentina. UNITAS Atlantic is a multinational exercise as part of Southern Seas 2011. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Steve Smith)

(Click the links above for info on the other ships in the photo.)

Here is a report of a live firing exercise against a drone, conducted as part of the larger exercise.

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