Tapias News

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) is pleased to announce the appointment of Ximena Tapias Delporte as Vice-Chair of the ICC Commission on Marketing and Advertising. Ms Tapias Delporte has been Executive Chairman of the Colombian Union of Advertising Companies (UCEP), a trade association representing advertising agencies and media in Colombia, for 22 years. She currently serves as President of the Commission of Advertising Self-Regulation of CONARP, the Colombian self-regulatory organization. In this capacity Ms Tapias Delporte is responsible for representing the rights and interests of the industry as well as well as engaging in the role of editor of the Colombian Code of Self-Regulation.

Ship Owner Mediterranean Shipping Co. S.A. MSC Linzie is the first vessel of a new vessel type developed and designed by Hanjin which adopts the new Panamax length design of 294.05 m. Apparently the design series and Hanjin's well-established reputation in this niche has proved attractive, as the company has, to date, logged orders for 24 ships of the new design. As mentioned above, its length is the maximum for Panama canal, i.e. 294 m. So it has been designed to move flexibly both in Pacific Ocean and in Atlantic Ocean through Panama canal, which is one of the main feature that makes it popular among the operator. This ship offers the maximum intake of 5,060TEU.

Heavy transport shipping company Dockwise Shipping B.V. took delivery of the M/V Blue Marlin after her conversion into the world's largest semi-submersible heavy transport vessel able to carry heavy cargoes up to 73,000 tons. After a conversion of three months at the Hyundai Mipo Dockyard Blue Marlin has re-joined the Dockwise fleet with an increased deadweight capacity of 76,061 tons. The beam has been increased by 21 m, which results in an increased unobstructed deck area of 11,227 sq. m (63 m wide x 178.2 m long). The propulsion system of the vessel has been upgraded and extended with two Azimuth retractable propulsors, each 4.5 MW, to provide optimum manoeuvrability and seagoing characteristics while carrying ultra large cargoes.

Teekay Shipping Corporation has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Naviera F. Tapias S.A. Teekay has also entered into an agreement with the shareholders of Tapias to establish a 50/50 joint venture that will pursue new business in the oil and gas shipping sectors, focusing specifically on the Spanish market. The Tapias acquisition will establish Teekay's presence in LNG shipping, one of the fastest growing sectors of sea-borne energy transportation. It will position the Company as a key supplier of LNG shipping to Spain, the world's third largest importer of LNG, and provide a strategic growth platform for Teekay. As a major provider of crude oil transportation to Spain, the acquisition of Tapias will also extend Teekay's leading position in the crude oil tanker sector.

Teekay Shipping Corporation has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Naviera F. Tapias S.A., a leading independent owner and operator of LNG carriers and crude oil tankers in Spain. Teekay has also entered into an agreement with the shareholders of Tapias to establish a 50/50 joint venture that will pursue new business in the oil and gas shipping sectors, focusing specifically on the Spanish market. The Tapias acquisition will establish Teekay's presence in LNG shipping, one of the fastest growing sectors of sea-borne energy transportation. It will position the company as a key supplier of LNG shipping to Spain, the world's third largest importer of LNG, and provide a strategic growth platform for Teekay.

IZAR’s Puerto Real Shipyard recently christened the LNG carrier Cadiz Knutsen, with representatives of the owners Knutsen OAS and Marpetrol and the final client, Unión Fenosa Gas. This ship will transport up to 138,000 cu. m. of gas at –163ºC, and is the fourth LNG carrier built at IZAR, and the second one of those built at Puerto Real facilities. There is a third unit under construction at this shipyard for the shipowner Fernandez Tapias. The vessel will transport gas from the Damieetta port liquefaction plant in Egypt to the gasification terminals in Ferrol and Sagunto. It will take 15 days and 10 days respectively for the ship to cover the routes at design speed, 19.5 knots.

Iñigo Tapias, the new 138,000 cu. m. liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier launched on January 29 by Izar’s Sestao yard in Bilbao, is a significant ship for many reasons, both technical and business. The 284.4 m, 19.5 knot ship embodies the hopes of a shipbuilding nation that is seeking to re-establish its presence in the LNG niche that it has not occupied for more than three decades, as the production of gas ships generally lays in the hands of Far East builders today. The ship is unique in many respects – not the least in that it was launched into the water, sliding down its building way in the traditional manner to great fanfare in the presence of thousands of guests, both local residents and VIPs from the shipping world.

To great fanfare, Iñigo Tapias, the new 138,000 cu. m. liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier was launched on January 29 by IZAR's Sestao yard in Bilbao. The ship — standing in testament to the 1,213 workers at Sestao who physically made the ship a reality as well as the underlying strength of the IZAR company — is a highly significant one for many reasons, both technical and business. The 933-ft. (284.4-m), 19.5 knot ship embodies the hopes of a shipbuilding nation that is seeking to re-establish its presence in the LNG niche that it has not occupied for more than three decades, as the production of gas ships generally lays in the hands of Far East builders today.

Port and maritime security matters continue to dominate the agenda list of marine companies and organizations. While an unprecedented international effort to thwart terrorist attacks has seemingly had some positive impact, the heightened awareness has exposed fissures in the system. At a meeting of the IMO Maritime Safety Committee's Intersessional Working Group on Maritime Security (ISWG), the group fast-forwarded a number of topical matters, including an agreement to discuss the accelerations of the implementation schedule for the mandatory fitting of Automatic Identification Systems for all ships of 500 gross tonnage and above, on international voyages.

The Ships Equipment Division of ship service specialist Unitor has won the contract to supply fire protection systems to four 93,450-grt, 138,000-cu.-m. LNG carriers building at Spain's Izar for transportation of natural gas been the Caribbean and Spain and Egypt and Spain. newbuildings under construction at Izar's Bilbao and Sestao shipyards. Spain's oil and gas major Repsol. comprising: Tapias/Dorchester Maritime; Elcano/Gas Ocean and Marpetrol/Knutsen. under a charter from Spain.

A flood of LNG carrier orders and dollar-denominated payments skewed towards delivery have helped South Korea's Daewoo shipyard, (now known as the world's second largest shipbuilder) still under workout, craft one of the country's most dramatic corporate turnarounds. "It is like dreaming a really good dream," said a high level official at Daewoo Shipbuilding. "We are now nearly monopolizing the global market for LNG carriers and benefiting from the recent weak won better than our rivals because most payments are made at delivery," he said. In 2000, Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering raked in orders for six LNG carriers - two each from Exmar of Belgium, Tapias of Spain and Bergesen of Norway - out of a total 14 orders placed worldwide.

IZAR Sestao Shipyard has delivered the LNG, Inigo Tapias, which will be operated by the company F. Tapias for Repsol YPF-Gas Natural. After conclusion of tests, carried out by the shipyard in the Gas Natural facilities in Huelva and valued by the shipowner, the ship was delivered completely operative and was delivered a month ahead of schedule. During the tests, the cargo has reach quantity of 5,000 m3 of gas. The Inigo Tapias has the capacity to transport 138,000 m3 of liquified natural gas at 163 degrees centigrades below 0, in 4 tanks with a double membrane type No96 as a system of isolation and contention of cargo. The “Inigo Tapias” is the first LNG of this dimension built in Spain and the first of a serie of 5 that IZAR has under construction for Repsol YPF…

While seeking to consolidate its existing LNG carrier workload by bidding for new tonnage to serve the Qatari export traffic and other projects, Spanish shipbuilder IZAR has intensified its research endeavors so as to create a broader business platform in the energy market. The group has thrown its weight behind a new initiative aimed at developing floating plant incorporating gas-to-liquids (GTL) technology to extract and convert gas from remote offshore fields into premium grade liquid products. The joint industry research and development project, known as Seagas, draws in IZAR Fene Shipyard (the former Astano establishment), Bermuda-based engineering corporation Foster Wheeler, and other partners from various disciplines.

As the sole shipbuilding organization outside eastern Asia with a current involvement in the construction of large LNG carriers, IZAR is determined to maintain a long-term position in a promising, higher value-added field of the newbuild market. The present business profile is based on a series of membrane-type vessels of 138,000-cu. m. capacity, contracted in recent years in the face of fierce international competition and oriental domination of gas tanker production. However, the gathering momentum behind the Spanish group's research and development drive has increased its offering to the LNG transportation sector beyond the impressive new generation of ships now taking form in Sestao and Puerto Real for Spanish and Norwegian interests.

The largest Spanish flagged RoPax ferry, named Fortuny, has been delivered by IZAR's Puerto Real shipyard to the Spanish shipowner Trasmediterranea. The contract for the construction of this ferry was landed by Puerto Real yard, formerly part of Astilleros Españoles group, on July 30, 1999. The new ferry has become the fastest vessel to join the owner's fleet, with a 23.5 knot speed on the engines' 85 percent continuous service rating. On trials, the vessel reached a top speed or more than 25 knots. Propulsion power is supplied by four 7,240 kW diesel engines rated at 500 rpm, coupled by pairs to two shaft lines and two CP propellers. Maneuvering equipment includes two 1,000 kW bow-tunnel thrusters. With an overall length of 566 ft. (172 m), a breadth of 86 ft.