Chinese Repair Yard Reports Strong Results

In the past 3 quarters, 2004 witnessed the facilities expansion of Huarun Dadong Dockyard ( HRDD ) and also experienced the production turnover increase.

Considering the trend that the more and more post panamax container vessel will be launched into service and with the advantageous geographical location in Shanghai port, HRDD improved her facilities within these two years. Positively speaking, by the mid of next year, HRDD will possess 3 floating docks for capacities ranging from handy size, panamax size to cape size vessels with particulars of 190m x 35m, 280m x 45m and 340m x 52m respectively. Of course, the biggest Da Dong floating dock which has been put into operation from the beginning of this September will exclusively be suitable for post panamx container vessels with her max dimension of 340m LOA and 52m of Beam. Simultaneously, HRDD will also have one more quay of 600m on the basis of the existing 750m quay.

With the development of facilities, the performance of HRDD on the general repair and docking has been improving constantly, which is proved by the statistics summary for the records of past 3 quarters in 2004.

The vessels repaired in 2004 by the end of September amounted to 63, around 22 percent up than that of 2003. Amongst, the panamax and cape size vessels is 34 vessels, 54 per cent of the total amount; and the repeated customers is 34 vessels too, 54 per cent of the total amount. For example, IMC Singapore awarded M/V Maritime King GRT38479, M/V Maritime Lapis GRT23274; First Marine Service (Japan) delivered M/V Crystal Lilly GRT28073, M/V Soryu Maru GRT48458, and M/V Grand Fortune GRT75254; Tanker Pacific Ship Management (Singapore) sent to us with M/T Rangoon GRT25740, M/T Emerald Hill GRT39342, and M/T Emerald Isle GRT39415; Toyo Sangyo ( Japan ) gave M/V Castle Peak GRT77182, M/V APL Qingdao GRT58923 and M/V Rubin Rosebay GRT35884; also Zodiac Ship Management ( England ) awarded in sequence with M/V North Gate GRT93049, M/V Cape Hawk GRT81589.

Some outstanding projects within this year by September includes the virgin docking for our second floating dock Da Dong by M/V Elbe Ore ( GRT113342 ) from JPP Ocean Singapore Pte. Ltd; the coating coating for the 3 tankers from Tanker Pacific and M/T Fidelity from Pioneer Tankers Shipping Corporation of Greece for around 30000 m2 sandblasting and coating in COTs; M/V Ispat Kirti ( GRT 36294 ) of Anglo-Eastern Ship Management ( HK ) Ltd for 620 tons of steel renewal and 21000 m2 sandblasting/coating in cargo holds; M/V Saga Wave and M/V Saga Sky ( GRT 47034 ) for gantry crane maintenance and miscellaneous machinery repair. Also in October, M/V Sormovskiy-58 from Amull Transportation Company of Russia arrives in HRDD for the complete renewal of mid part of vessel due to the insufficient stress design on the existing hull structure, including the renewal for all 4 cargo holds/side and bottom ballast tanks/hatch coaming and hatch covers/the relative piping and cables. The procedure of prefabricated blocks renewal requires 20 days of dock space for her.

All these successful projects will greatly contribute to the a large scale of turnover increase for 2004 and attract more and more repeated customers to HRDD who will provide more spaces and facilities with improved performance.