Onboard the HMNZS Otago

Posted at 5:01pm Friday 15th Nov, 2013 | By Andrew Campbell andrew@thesun.co.nz

Officers and crew onboard the HMNZS Otago are all done with their Christmas shopping as Christmas Day this year will be spent “somewhere south of New Zealand”.

The 85metre offshore patrol vessel is in Tauranga this weekend on an operational visit on her way south with the final New Zealand port call at the ship’s home port of Dunedin.

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Former Mount Maunganui College head boy, Lt Commander Rob McCaw, and current Mount Maunganui College principal Russell Gordon. 

Energy and Resources Minister and Tauranga MP, Simon Bridges, Port of Tauranga CEO Mark Cairns, Western BOP Mayor Ross Paterson and staff representative Steve Hill were all invited aboard today, as was Mount Maunganui College headmaster Russell Gordon and assistant principal Tina Yule.

The Mount Maunganui College representatives were onboard to reconnect with commanding officer of the ship, Lieutenant Commander Rob McCaw, who was the head boy of the Tauranga school in 1998 – the year before he joined the RNZ Navy.

For Rob being in command on board Otago as she arrives at Mount Maunganui is he believes, a once in his career opportunity, and one he relished.

“Coming here has been one thing I’ve been trying to do for three years now, we have been so busy. This is the first opportunity,” says Rob.

Rob used to sail in Tauranga Harbour, but the navy was not his immediate career choice. He was an air cadet and looking at the RNZAF until doubt was cast on the future of the strike wing. One of the attractions of the navy life is the feeling being part of something bigger than yourself, says Rob.

Another former BOP resident on the bridge is the ship’s executive officer Lieutenant Nicholas Foster. His mother lives in Tauranga, but he was born and raised in Whakatane.

Nicholas joined the RNZN straight from high school and after the first year undertook a three year degree in science and geography. He’s been in the navy eight years and has a five year plan that includes further education and postings.

The shore party was picked up at Salisbury Wharf and taken out in two of the ship’s Zodiac RIBs, the $600,000 ship runabouts – dwarfed by the 314m long cruise ship Celebrity Solstice cruise ship entering the port as the ship departed.

After being winched aboard the visiting party were greeted by Rob in the hanger and escorted to the bridge for coffee and breakfast prepared by navy chefs trained to the London Guilds standard.

Somewhere ‘south of New Zealand’ on a previous tour the ship experienced 17m seas, breaking blue over the top of the bridge, which is about 14metres above the water.

When it happened Rob says crew immediately check to see if the smokers, outside on the deck below, had been doused.

Otago has an ice strengthened hull enabling her to enter southern waters where ice may be encountered. The ship also has the range and other cold-climate capability to undertake operations in the Southern Ocean.

The offshore patrol vessels are intended for multi-service use and can be operated with a navy crew of about 30, but with accommodation for just over 60.

Otago’s main armament is the bushmaster 25mm naval gun which gets regular firing.

“It’s good for morale,” says Rob.

“Guy Fawkes night we were in a firing area and they were shooting at red distress flares for anti-aircraft practise, and super tomatoes.”

Super tomatoes are large red floats weighted at the base that are tossed into the sea for target practise.

Otago and sister ship Wellington are versatile ships delivering the capability to undertake Exclusive Economic Zone patrols, surveillance and military operations around New Zealand, the Southern Ocean and Pacific.

Otago and Wellington can operate further offshore, stay at sea longer, and conduct a wider scope of operations – using their helicopter capability, sea-boats and embarked forces.

With a cruising speed of 10 knots they can remain at sea for months, or it can be burned up in a high speed dash. Rob recounts on a trip to Minerva Reef and back at 22 knots where they returned with virtually empty tanks.

The ship is also designed to work in with other forces, both civilian and military. There’s a dog kennel for customs’ dogs – or military dogs. The quarter deck, which is presently occupied by containers, one containing frozen food the other inflatable dinghies, can be cleared to make room for the bigger SAS boats.

HMNZS Otago is expected to put to sea on Monday.

DCT Gdansk is now officially a member of a club of container terminals handling 1 million TEU annually and more. After only 6 years of operating, DCT Gdansk became a hub port for Central – Eastern Europe and Russia, serving as a true gateway leading to Poland and other Baltic states. DCT handled millionth TEU of the year on November 15, 2013 while operating Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller.

This is a great milestone not only for the terminal, but for the entire Polish container business in particular. For many decades Polish market was serviced by foreign ports. Together with creating DCT Gdansk, Polish importers and exporters gained reliable and efficient facility providing the highest international standards.

“Polish container industry is young and still searching for its identity on the international market. For a long time Poland was perceived as a marginal player and both clients and terminal operators doubted that this position may ever be changed. DCT Gdansk filled the gap and responded to the market demand by attracting direct deep sea calls to the Baltic Sea and taking on the role of the leader in changing region’s trade patterns. Gdansk became an important link connecting CEE and Russian markets with the Far East. It is crucial for the whole Baltic industry to acquire coherent pattern of container transport, with leading container hub port in Gdansk, and sufficient and modern feeder terminals in other main Baltic ports” says Maciek Kwiatkowski, President of the Board, DCT Gdansk.

Today in U.S. Naval History – November 15

1882 – Lt. Crd. French Chadwick reports to American Legation in London as first Naval Attache.

1942 – Although U.S. lost several ships in Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, Naval Force under Rear Admiral Willlis Lee, USS Washington (BB-56), turns back Japanese transports trying to reinforce Guadalcanal. The Japanese never again try to send large naval forces to Guadalcanal.

1960 – First Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarine, USS George Washington (SSBN-598), leaves Charleston, S.C., on initial fleet ballistic missile patrol.

For more information about naval history, visit the Naval History and Heritage Command website at history.navy.mil.

Power and automation technology group ABB won two orders in the third quarter to provide the waste heat recovery systems, each powered by a power turbine generator (PTG), for 14 new 8,800 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) container vessels.

The first seven post-panamax vessels will be built at Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co. Ltd., (DSIC) and the other seven vessels at New Times Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., for China International Marine Containers Group Co. and Mediterranean Shipping Co. S.A (MSC). When delivered, in 2015 and 2016, the ships will serve under a long-term charter agreement to MSC, one of the world’s largest containership owners.

The employment of a waste heat recovery system (WHRS) to increase energy output onboard ships is becoming an increasingly viable means of reducing fuel costs. In marine propulsion plants, around 50 percent or more of the energy from fuel is lost to heat when converted to mechanical work by the main engine. By supplementing a ship’s main propulsion plant with a waste heat recovery solution, up to 4 percent of the lost fuel energy can be recovered and converted into electricity. More efficient energy use also reduces CO2 emissions in relation to the engine’s mechanical power output.

ABB’s scope of supply includes power turbines with control valves, alternators, reduction gears and dynamic compensators. The package also includes two newest generation turbochargers. The electrical output of the system is 1.65 megawatt (MW).

abb.us