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SHIPDX 2018 sum up

SHIPDX 2018 – The first and only competition for Naval Architecture students in Romania

The first specialised naval architecture competition for university students, SHipDX (Ship Design Exercise) has taken place on Friday 8th June 2018. This competition is organized and sponsored by GLO MARINE, in partnership with the Faculty of Naval Architecture, Dunarea de Jos University, Galati.

THE THEME

The theme of this first edition was the Design and General Arrangement of a leisure catamaran.
The students had to approach both theoretical and practical aspects, with the purpose of proposing a small leisure ship concept which is in line with the current industry trends, both in terms of engineering solutions and commercial guidelines.

The main driver behind organizing this competition was to challenge students to come up with a practical design theme in a complex, real life situation. Together with university professors we identified the need for students to develop their technical skills and test their teamwork and innovation skills when faced with the challenge of designing a product rather than discussing a theoretical concept.

THE COMPETITION

The competition was launched on 8th March – the news was so well received that 14 teams (each formed of 3 students) registered their interest. The competition had 3 stages: 2 initial presentations during which the jury assessed the project development and offered support and one final presentation held on 8th June. The final presentation was attended by students, professors and local media.

Out of 14 teams, 3 made it to the final. The teams really came together and pitched their ideas in professional and engaging manner. The proposals were not only focused on technical details and specialized calculations, but the teams also proved their entrepreneurial skills and commercial acumen by showing promotional videos, brochures and even presenting miniature replicas of their concept.

The judges assessing the presentations were: The Dean of the Faculty of Naval Architecture, Prof. Dr. Ing. Costel Iulian Mocanu, the Chief of Works Dr. Ing. Eugen Gavan, and the 4 associates of GLO MARINE.

THE DECISION

The teams were scored on technical aspects such as compliance with project requirements, on presentation format but also on feasibility of project being presented to a real-life client.

The winners went above and beyond and that got them 1st prize. They contacted industry professionals for advice during the project, their design was done according to classification society rules and the proposed hull shape could pass for commercial design . We were impressed with their creativity. The 2 runner-up teams were in a tie and they both got 2nd place prizes.

THE WINNERS

First place (Winner of Best Project) – 1000 euros – PEAKY BUILDERS: Lupoae Laurenţiu Alexandru, Tudor Ovidiu Cosmin, Căluian Mihai
2nd place (Innovation Award) – 250 euros – YOUTH CREW: Cardaș Gabriel, Alin Droahnă Nicușor, Ionescu Alin Gabriel
2nd place (Innovation Award) – 250 euros – SHEEP DESIGN: Niculache Alecsandru Mihail Purice Marius Cosmin, Stan Cristian

THE FUTURE

We’re happy with how successful the first edition of ShipDX turned out: the innovative teams, the motivated judges and the engaged media. So much so that a second edition of ShipDX is coming up in 2019, with even more teams, more prizes and more industry sponsors.

If you are interested to be a sponsor, please write to us on: contact@glo-marine.com

If you are interested in the ShipDX 2019 Edition, we should have updated information by the end of 2018, on our dedicated PAGE.

 

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MARKET ANALYSIS SERIES – PART 2

“THE DAYS OF PAPER-BASED WORKFLOWS IN SHIP MANAGEMENT ARE GONE”

The overall global shipping market has deteriorated significantly during the first five months of 2016.

Earnings across most of the segments continued to decline, in many cases representing levels significantly below operational expenses. Even the oil tankers segment, which is still generating income, has experienced softer rates.

The current order book consists of 6,000 ships, corresponding to 191 million GT. However, it’s facing a descending trend since the number of deliveries exceed number of new contracts.

Moreover, a 2015 survey from Moore Stephens International found that vessel operating costs rose by 2.8% in 2015 and are expected to rise by 3.1% in 2016 while the cost of repairs and maintenance escalated by 2.3% in 2015 and was expected to grow by 2.4% in 2016.

CONTAINERSHIPS

After a very weak 2015 for container transportation, in which global trade growth disappointed and freight rates collapsed, the containership sector faces major challenges in 2016.

Two of the most significant changes in 2016 are represented by
• mergers between liner companies and
• the opening of the new Panama Canal
For the full year 2016, total containerized trade is expected to grow by 4%. However, the uncertainty surrounding the predictions is higher than in previous years. A lot will depend on the economic developments in the US, Europe and Asia. In the long run, the contracting is expected to slowly pick up and reach 1.66 million TEU by 2020.

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BULK CARRIERS

During the last few months dry bulk earnings have hit record lows and asset prices continued to deteriorate. In an attempt to reverse the trend, owners either demolish or lay-up an increased number of ships.

At the same time, the contracting activity has almost stalled. With hardly any signs of an improvement on the demand side, the market seems to have reached rock bottom. The forecasted trends are similar as in the case of containers, perceiving a slow but steady recovery up until 2020.

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OFFSHORE SERVICE VESSELS

According to DNV GL, the offshore support vessel (OSV) market has been suffering serious challenges since the oil market drop in 2015.

The overall vessel utilization has fallen significantly over the last year as a consequence of the oil companies trying to adjust to the “new reality” of the low oil prices by announcing further cutbacks in exploration and production. In May 2016 the number of lay-up vessels reached 1400.

Annual OSV fleet growth (based on numbers) has remained above 5% over the last five years. For 2016, the fleet growth is expected to be in the range of 4%, after which it is expected to drop to 2%-3% per annum.

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In the case of  mobile offshore units (MOU), 2016, will see a total number of newbuilds contracted of around 20 units (compared to 100 in 2014 and 34 in 2015). Deliveries are forecasted to increase from 70 in 2015 to around 120 in the full year 2016. MOU demolitions are expected to remain at a comparable level as in 2015

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The most recent newbuilding contracting forecast, according to Clarksons Research, suggest only 934 ships over 2,000 GT for 2016, which is the lowest in 25 years. Considering that the order book for the newbuilding market in the first 5 months has been reaching 300 vessels, it appears that this forecast is still optimistic but in the same time a higher activity in the market it is expected in the second half of the year.

The evolution of the market has led to a decrease in the newbuilding contracts and due to the low prices that the yards are practicing, the competition on the Asian market has increased.

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The best industry overview in terms of world fleet by principal vessel types is offered by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in their 2015 Review of Maritime Transport:

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