The new business opportunities and technological development; energy transition, decarbonisation and the fight against climate change; digital transformation; innovation; and the Port-City relationship are the five strategic axes of the new Strategic Plan of the Port Authority of Valencia for the 2030 horizon. “This is a Plan to define the ports we want, a joint strategic proposal for Valenciaport but also responding to the singularities and roles of the ports of Valencia, Sagunto and Gandía”, explained Juan Manuel Díez, head of Strategic Planning and Innovation of the APV during the press conference where he explained the main lines of the new Plan.

“An initiative that will be revisable in 2025 and that also has a long-term vision until 2050, where it takes into account the characteristics of Valenciaport as a commercial infrastructure at the service of the mobility of goods, as a logistical port at the service of industrial development, of the blue economy and of the supply and distribution needs of the economy, and as a citizen’s port, at the service of the mobility of people, access and enjoyment by citizens to the sea-port front and as an agent creating employment and social welfare,” said Juan Manuel Diez.

The PAV will put out to tender in the next few days the development of the Strategic Plan for 511,000 euros, with a maximum execution period of 9 months and a start date for the work between October and November of this year. The framework of the Strategic Plan will be aligned with the Sustainable Development Objectives of the United Nations and the Green Pact of the European Union. Furthermore, the new Plan is in line with the framework of the port system that is being designed by Puertos del Estado and in which Valenciaport is actively participating.

Health emergency situations

During his speech, Juan Manuel Díez explained that this Plan will allow Valenciaport to be one of the first ports to define its strategy in the post-Covid-19 era and will also contemplate action in health emergency situations such as the one we are currently experiencing. It is an element that is changing the rules of the game and influences on the evolution of goods traffic. In Valenciaport we have responded to this situation and we are aware that health surveillance is at the top level”.

With regard to the city-port relationship, the head of Strategic Planning and Innovation has indicated that it is a fundamental axis of this new plan to continue along the lines being developed by the APV and that it will contemplate measures for “mobility, the management of shared spaces, the contribution to the blue economy or training and employability. It is an open plan to receive the input of institutions, the port community and citizens to define the ports we want for the future.

The Strategic Plan also considers the development of new business and logistic development opportunities such as the promotion of the railway, the modal integration and the integration with the Trans-European Transport Networks or the promotion of logistic areas. Within the framework of energy transition, decarbonisation and the fight against climate change, the new Plan is aligned with the investments of the PAV in its 2030 objective, zero emissions, together with new ones that may be developed in this new project.

Another of the objectives of the new Strategic Plan is the firm commitment to the Digital Transformation to promote new digital business models and connectivity and to position the port as ValenciaSmartPort.

In addition, Valenciaport will also focus on its lines of action for the next few years in its commitment as a technological hub and driving force to attract talent to the Valencian Community to promote the knowledge economy.

ABB wins contract from Damen Shipyards Group to deliver an advanced power system for the world’s first custom-built diamond recovery vessel

ABB will supply an integrated power system package that will ensure the world’s largest and most technologically advanced diamond recovery vessel meets exceptional safety, efficiency and availability requirements. The vessel is being built by Damen at Damen Shipyards Mangalia on the Black Sea in Romania. Financial details of the order were not disclosed.

With a total cost of $468 million, the vessel is the largest single investment ever made in the marine diamond industry. It deploys advanced subsea crawling – a technique for recovering diamonds from the seabed. The newbuild will be delivered to Debmarine Namibia, a joint venture between the Government of the Republic of Namibia and De Beers Group in 2022. De Beers Group is the world’s leading diamond company, with unrivalled expertise in the exploration, mining and marketing of rough diamonds, driving it forward since 1888.

Namibia has the richest known marine diamond deposits in the world, with Debmarine Namibia extracting some of the highest quality diamonds available anywhere from water of between 90-150 meters deep off the south west coast of the country. Traditionally, onshore along the coastline of Namibia, diamond mining is done in open-cast mines, however, with the land-based output in Namibia expected to run out in 15 years, offshore mining is on the rise.

The new 177-meter ship has been designed by renowned Norwegian naval architects Marin Teknikk. It will become the largest ship in the owner’s fleet, exceeding the size of Debmarine Namibia’s current largest vessel, the Mafuta, by 8,000 tons displacement (vessel weight based on the amount of water displaced by the hull). It is expected to increase the shipowner’s annual production by 35 percent, contributing additional 500,000 carats to today’s production levels.

The offshore mining specialist has previously installed ABB’s power systems on board the SS Nujoma, Debmarine Namibia’s deep-water diamond exploration and sampling vessel.

“The success of the SSN, with high reliability, efficient positioning and low fuel consumption coupled with safe operation, was instrumental in selecting the same systems for the new diamond recovery vessel, with ABB’s power systems being an integral part of the solution,” said Michael Curtis, who is heading the newbuild project for Debmarine Namibia.

The latest ABB technology will ensure that the vessel achieves unsurpassed uptime. In addition to the advanced system for power generation, distribution and variable speed drive propulsion systems, the solution includes a large online double-conversion marine uninterruptible power supply (MUPS) to support the ship’s vital control processes, significantly reducing the risk of critical power loss and downtime.

ABB’s MUPS is designed for undisrupted availability, ensuring power backup for the vessel’s onboard control systems of the subsea-crawler and processing plant that sorts through sediment lifted from the seabed to extract diamonds. ABB’s advanced and tightly integrated power system will help optimize engine loading, as well as reduce running hours and fuel costs, and decrease maintenance needs.

“ABB is trusted globally as a leading technology company capable of delivering solutions for advanced and complex custom-built vessels. We are delighted to be working with them as part of a landmark newbuilding project for both companies,” said Mark Vermeulen managing director Damen Offshore & Transport.

“This is a truly special ship, packed with sophisticated technology, and a project demanding an especially close relationship with the customer to ensure that optimal solutions were delivered for exact specifications,” said Juha Koskela, Managing Director, ABB Marine & Ports. “We are thrilled to see that the team behind this advanced vessel recognizes the benefits of efficiency, safety and uptime available through integration. This success is also consistent with growing traction for ABB’s electric, digital and connected solutions across an increasing number of vessel types and operational profiles.”