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THE AUSTRALIAN NAVAL ARCHITECT Journal of The Royal Institution of Naval Architects (Australian Division) Volume 16 Number 4 November 2012 Cover Photo: CONTENTS The flagship of the Sydney Heritage Fleet,Lady Hope- toun, and HMAS Parramatta during the launch of the 2 From the Division President 2013 International Fleet Review on a very windy day in Sydney on 22 October 2 Editorial (RAN photograph) 3 Letters to the Editor The Australian Naval Architect is published four times per 4 News from the Sections year. All correspondence and advertising should be sent to: 14 Classification Society News The Editor The Australian Naval Architect 16 Coming Events c/o RINA PO Box No. 462 19 General News Jamison Centre, ACT 2614 37 Education News AUSTRALIA email: [email protected] 43 The Profession The deadline for the next edition of The Australian Na- val Architect (Vol. 17 No. 1, February 2013) is Friday 45 International Ship and Offshore Structures 25 January 2013. Congress Articles and reports published in The Australian Naval Architect reflect the views of the individuals who prepared 46 Industry News them and, unless indicated expressly in the text, do not neces- sarily represent the views of the Institution. The Institution, 49 First Nuclear-powered Aircraft Carrier to be its officers and members make no representation or warranty, Decommissioned expressed or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness or correctness of information in articles or reports and accept 50 Membership no responsibility for any loss, damage or other liability arising from any use of this publication or the information 51 The Internet which it contains. 52 Naval Architects on the Move The Australian Naval Architect ISSN 1441-0125 54 From the Archives © Royal Institution of Naval Architects 2012 Editor in Chief: John Jeremy RINA Australian Division Technical Editor: Phil Helmore on the Print Post Approved PP 606811/00009 World Wide Web Printed by B E E Printmail Telephone (02) 9437 6917 www.rina.org.uk/aust November 2012 1 From the Division President As indicated in my last column, we have revived the annual Walter Atkinson Award for the encouragement of quality naval architectural technical papers presented within Australia; my thanks to the sub-committee for their good work on this: Kim Klaka, Martin Renilson and Rob Gehling. You will find the award conditions and details within these pages, and I encourage you all to promote this prestigious award amongst you colleagues and to consider the formalisation of your own specialisation into a written paper for a seminar, conference or Section presentation or publication in The ANA. Even if you don’t win the award, you will have helped broaden the knowledge base within Australia and will certainly have boosted your own CPD. The National System for Domestic Commercial Vessel Safety (or Single National Jurisdiction as we were calling it) will be with us in a couple of months and there is a lot happening as the new Navigation Act and National Law Act and their associated regulations are finalised and implemented. Via your Sections, or directly from AMSA, most of you will have received the National System October Stakeholder Bulletin, listing the information sessions which AMSA is holding around the country from late October to early December. I encourage you to attend your nearest meeting, to understand where AMSA and the States are currently at, and for them to hear your voice. Jim Black President, RINA Australian Division One of our main concerns has been, and still is, that this should be a truly National System, nationally implemented and nationally interpreted. Our concerns in this direction Editorial have been expressed to AMSA during the recent round of The rescheduling of the air-warfare destroyer construction public consultation — you will find our letter to AMSA program, extending the keel-laying interval between each within this issue of The ANA. I cannot emphasise enough ship to eighteen months, to ‘reduce peak demand on project- how important I see this insistence on uniformity around the critical resources and facilities’ and to help maintain essential country, so that we really are all working under the same skills in the naval shipbuilding industry is a welcome recog- system. I arrived in this fair country a few years before nition by the Government of the need to maintain continuity the introduction of the “Uniform” Shipping Laws Code in in that industry in Australia — at last. 1979 and, at the time, we all hailed it as the answer to our It is expected that this move will close the gap between the problems, a “uniform national” system that we could all destroyer program and the start of construction of the RAN’s work to. Unfortunately it was not nationally administered future submarine. Hopefully, there will be no submarine and we all know how diverse its interpretations and program delays to squander the benefit. exceptions became over the years, from jurisdiction to It is stated that this extension will occur without additional jurisdiction. cost to the destroyer construction program. Well, hopefully We have a chance to get this right now, and I hope that you — fixed costs will continue each month of the extended plan will all keep a watching brief for any divergence from a truly (resulting in a condition known to shipbuilders as ‘prolongi- national system and shout loudly if you see that happening. I tis escalitis’) and the RAN is likely to face additional costs see this as a higher priority than any particular shortcoming keeping old ships in service longer than planned. Despite in any of the regulations, including the NSCV — there will these possible additional costs, the benefits for industry con- be processes in place to review and correct these matters, tinuity and an easier timescale for the RAN to introduce the albeit probably rather slower and more cumbersome than ships into service are likely to be worth any additional cost. we would wish, but if there is no really effective national Ultimately we must recognise that industry is an integral part enforcement then we may be no better off than we were in of the defence of the nation and its skills cannot be turned 1979. Let’s each do our bit, wherever we can, to ensure that on and off at the drop of a hat any more easily than the navy it actually works this time round. can instantly produce the suitably-trained and skilled people As always, I am available for discussion and comment on needed to crew and support new ships and submarines. any topic of relevance to Australian naval architects: email John Jeremy [email protected] or telephone (0418) 918 050. Jim Black The Australian Naval Architect 2 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Dear Sir, and Design Institute of China), a National Enterprise Tech- We are seeing yachts becoming larger and lighter using nology Centre which is committed to promoting research composite materials. How big are they going to get? Are we capabilities and the innovation of advanced technologies going to see a trend to large sail-powered vessels in Australia in the offshore oil and gas industry, has fulfilled a series of for the rich and powerful? significant technological breakthroughs. Fuel prices are rising and people are becoming more envi- Although China has become a dominant player with a sub- ronmentally conscious, wind is becoming an increasingly- stantial global market share in the shipbuilding industry, popular power source. Motor yachts are still very popular in the majority of its orders remain in less technologically- the 70–80 m range but, with fuel prices rising, are we going advanced products. Nevertheless, this industry is enjoying to see a trend to sail power and yachts in this large size with significant rises in profits due to greater demands from multiple masts becoming popular? both local and overseas clients having favourable economic conditions. It is not unexpected that, in the near future, Wally Yachts’ latest 50 m project has just had the world’s China will face a growing risk of shipbuilding overcapacity. largest mast fitted with a height of a massive 66.7 m. It was However, I do anticipate that this expansion will assist in so a large that it had to be shipped in two sections. the structural readjustment of China’s shipbuilding industry Oyster Marine has recently won the award for Europe’s best towards producing more technologically-advanced, high luxury cruiser, and have 30 m and 38 m vessels in produc- value-added vessels. Also, with the rapid economic growth tion. This UK company teamed up with long-time luxury in China, the rise of the rich and affluent class will, no maxi-yacht building company, RMK, in Istanbul, Turkey. doubt, fuel the luxury-boat industry. The demand for high- Australia, with such a vast coastline and various boat build- quality and high-speed recreational boats will create another ing industries, should be producing more of these luxury booming market, specifically to design small boats for the sailing vessels, rather than turning to America and Europe.