Four Killed in Explosion at South Korean STX Shipyard
Four workers were killed Sunday in an explosion at an oil tanker being built in a South Korean shipyard, Reuters reported quoting authorities. Fire officials said the workers were painting the interior of the tanker at an STX Offshore & Shipbuilding plant in the southeastern city of Changwon and died almost instantly. The workers in their 30s to 50s were painting inside a 12-meter-deep oil tank at the time of the accident. The fire agency recovered the bodies of the three victims. The oil carrier with the capacity of 74,000 tons is reportedly scheduled to be delivered to a Greek shipping company in October. According to Yonhap, the authorities are looking into the cause of the explosion.
Libya says halts tanker outside rebel port; rebels deny it
Rebels deny losing control of North Korean-flagged tanker; Government says tanker being taken to western port. Oil blockade has slashed vital government revenues. Libya on Monday stopped a North Korean-flagged tanker that had loaded oil from a rebel-held port, after naval forces briefly exchanged fire with the rebels, officials said. But in a sign of the chaos and conflicting information typical for Libya, rebel leader Ibrahim Jathran denied in a televised statement broadcast from a ship that he had lost control of the oil tanker. The LIbyan officials also said the government will assemble forces to "liberate" all occupied ports, raising the stakes over a blockage that has cut off vital oil revenue.
Vietnam to Build First Tanker
The tanker, named Dung Quat No 1 is scheduled for launch in 2007, the VietNamNet Bridge reported. The Infrastructure Development and Construction Corporation (Licogi) and Contex Construction Company (belonging to Vinashin) are working to acquire the necessary mechanical equipment to build a dry dock 380 x 90 x 15m. Such a dry dock is necessary for construction and repair of vessels of up to 300,000 tonnes. The main dock infrastructure will be completed in June, so that Vinashin can begin building the first 100,000 tonne oil tanker this July. Vinashin is now seeking supply of 4,000 tonnes of steel and iron. The corporation is also hiring 100 qualified engineers from local enterprises and 20 foreign experts from the Republic of Korea and Poland to advise on the project.
Vietnam Set to Build Tanker
In July 2006, the Vietnam Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (Vinashin) will set about construction of the first oil tanker for Vietnam’s oil and gas industry. The tanker, named Dung Quat No 1 is scheduled for launch in 2007. According to the Dung Quat management board, the Infrastructure Development and Construction Corporation (Licogi) and Contex Construction Company (belonging to Vinashin) are working to acquire the necessary mechanical equipment to build a dry dock 380m long, 90m wide and 15m deep. Such a dry dock is necessary for construction and repair of vessels of up to 300,000 tonnes. The main dock infrastructure will be completed in June, so that Vinashin can begin building the first 100,000 tonne oil tanker this July.
