RAL's 3 RAstar 3300 Tugs for GPHA
Canadian naval architectural firm Robert Allan Ltd (RAL) announced that the TOR Group shipyard in Tuzla Bay (Istanbul) has delivered the Ben Owusu-Mensah, the third of three RAstar 3300 tugs for Ghana Ports & Harbours Authority (GPHA).The new tugs are equipped to fulfill a multitude of missions for the GPHA, including but not limited to ship-assist, fire-fighting, and pollution response, said a press release from the ship designer."Driven by high speed engines and Z-drive propellers, the Ben Owusu-Mensah and its sisters comfortably meet all contractual performance requirements, including the achievement of 82 tonnes of bollard pull and speeds in excess of 14 knots on trial…
Çiçek Delivers First of Four 3100 DWT Tankers
The Turkish shipbuilder Çiçek Shipyard has delivered the 3,087dwt double-hull tanker Frecciamare to the Italian shipowner Ciane Anapo Spa. Based in one of Italy's major ports, Augusta, on the east coast of Sicily, Ciane Anapo is part of the Novella Group, headed by Marco Novella, and specializes in coastal tanker and bunker operations. Frecciamare was completed as Chem Flower, the first of four identical vessels now being built by Çiçek Shipyard for its associated shipowning company White Tulip Shipping, based in Malta.
Feature: Innovative Coastal Trader
An advance in hydrodynamic design has been endorsed by Norwegian energy group Statoil, as the prospective charterer of an innovative newbuild intended for coastwise distribution of oil products. The 4,200-dwt vessel contracted by Bergen Tankers will employ a diesel mechanical propulsion layout based on twin azimuth thrusters incorporating 'pulling' propellers. The project represents the first application of the Norwegian-developed Azipull system in the tanker market, and champions the principle of redundancy, conferred through the use of two, independent propulsion lines. The engineering and propulsion arrangements selected for the 90m coastal tanker have been shaped by exacting requirements as to maneuverability, design efficiency, safety and transport service dependability.
Fruit of the Orient
Through a longstanding blend of organizational discipline and an unerring drive for the highest levels of automation attainable in shipbuilding processes, the industry in Japan demonstrates resilience founded on continuing productivity advances. Untiring efforts to seek new ways of reducing man-hours and lead times is wholly characteristic of Japanese companies, as they rise to the intensified challenge posed by equally resolute South Korean yards. Although designs from Japanese builders are necessarily production-oriented, shaping perceptions in the international shipowning market that tailoring can only be had at a substantial premium, there is no question about the quality obtainable at a competitive price.
