Monday 1 June, 2009

Cicek 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. White Tulip then sold Chem Flower to Ciane Anapo shortly after completion, leaving Çiçek to make some minor modifications to meet the new owner's requirements.Although Ciane Anapo intends to use this first vessel for bunkering duties, the four ships are flexible, all being capable of worldwide trading, transporting oil products, chemicals (IMO type II) and vegetable, animal and fish oils.MarineLine coatings were selected by Çiçek to give the ability to carry a wide range of cargoes while high manoeuvrability is guaranteed by the choice of twin azimuthing propellers and a bow thruster. They are classed by Bureau Veritas and constructed to meet Ice B standards.According to Berke Çiçek, Vice President of Cicek Shipyard, interest from European owners for such vessels is strong, despite the overall weak state of the shipping market. "New double-hulled vessels such as Frecciamare and her three sisters now under construction are in great demand to replace older tonnage and because we took the initiative to start construction to our own account, the new owners have benefited from an extremely short delivery period. We are talking to a number of other potential owners and charterers and are confident of finding buyers who can secure immediate and profitable employment for these vessels."We were interested to see that Frecciamare's owner Ciane Anapo envisages employing its new vessel in the bunker trades as we had identified this market as particularly attractive. Many bunker tankers are still single-hull and quite elderly. There is a replacement market and there is also a requirement for larger vessels like ours since average ship sizes continue to grow. Large containerships, for example, take on board substantial amounts of bunkers and they also expect a fast rate of delivery.""For the next three vessels, we are able to offer late changes in specification, for example in the choice of tank coatings, thus providing great flexibility when discussing potential charterers' precise requirements. We are, with due notice, able to make more radical changes, as might be requested by owners with specific employment in mind."The shipowner Ciane Anapo Spa was formed in 1967 by the merger of two shipping companies, Ciane and Anapo, named after two small rivers in the Syracuse area. Its full name, Ciane-Anapo, Compagnia di Navigazione e Bunkeraggi Spa, reflects its two lines of business: bunkering (transport of fuel oil, diesel and lube oil for vessels in port) and mainstream shipping, principally coastal.Anapo was set up in 1958 in Augusta, just north of Syracuse, and Ciane in 1959, and the merged company has had a branch office in Genoa since 1967. It carries out bunkering in these two ports under special licenses, which require the use of small tankers that load from coastal installations.Augusta is one of Italy's largest ports, a major centre for oil refining and a popular bunkering centre, being on the main east-west trade route through the Mediterranean. The shipbuilder Çiçek Shipyard is located on Tuzla Bay, near Istanbul, and in addition to the small tankers, its current orderbook includes 58,000dwt and 25,000dwt bulk carriers. It has a long track record of constructing chemical tankers from 8,000dwt up to 40,000dwt in size.The largest vessels are constructed in a 37m wide building dock while ships of up to 25,000dwt can be built on an adjacent slipway. The 3,100dwt tankers are being constructed on a second slipway, capable of building ships of up to 3,500dwt.

Mumbai port repositioned as Project hub

In a bid to overcome the stiff competition, Mumbai port (MbPT) is being repositioned as India’s project cargo hub port taking advantage of the many distinguishing features and advantages native to the region. Its enclosed dock system, its sheltered harbour water with deep draft make it an ideal port for handling heavy lift and project cargo.

Though it has become strictly a break bulk port, it has been losing much of the cargo as break bulk, it is found to be easily containerised to ensure shorter ship stay in port, lesser cargo handling and has made it easier to ensure cargo security.

However, break bulk cargo such as over dimensional type or heavy lift project cargo calls for specialisation in handling. ‘Out of gauge’ cargo of 100 tons to 750 tons and more can be handled by a ship’s own gear vessels provided they have jumbo-sized cranes or two cranes of 450 ton capacity each working in tandem to load and unload such heavy cargo of up 900 tons.

Featuring the assets of the port for handling heavy lift cargo, Mr. V.S. Kulkarni, Dy Docks Manager of Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) emphasized, “Our existing dock system provides ideal berthing for vessels at corner berths thus permitting suitable double banking facilities alongside a vessel. The port has been able to regularly handle ‘out of gauge’ cargo and heavy project consignments of more than 700 tons. Our docks can even accommodate extra-ordinarily long vessels with overall length exceeding 900 feet. Good connectivity permitting quick evacuation of cargo via the sea through barges and by land through the rail network or by road gives Mumbai Port a distinctive advantage.”

Project cargo manufactured at minor and intermediate ports located in Gujarat are moved to MbPT by barges for onward shipment by the mother vessels. Construction machinery, road rollers, machinery of turnkey projects, boilers, transformers, dredgers, over dimensional power equipment, etc are regularly transported through the MbPT either as exports or as imports. OEMs and heavy engineering industrial units located in the hinterland find Mumbai port to be the preferred port for shipment of goods such as windmill parts, transformers, etc.

“Our regular customers include Larsen & Toubro, Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd., National Thermal Power Corporation Ltd., Crompton Greaves Ltd, Suzlon Energy Ltd., Godrej & Boyce, etc.,” says Mr Kulkarni. “Heavy cargo such as transformers and reactors are brought in by barges from Hazira, Kandla or Mangalore and loaded directly onto the mother vessels. Godrej get in their cargo from their Vikhroli factory via Mankhurd from where they are transported by barges through the P & V channel to the Harbour Wall berths in the Indira Docks (18 to 21). Here the barges are double banked with the mother vessels whose cranes lift them off from the barges and load them onto the vessel.

“Heavy cargoes are also brought in by rail or road and we offer various facilities including 7 free days on export cargo and 6 on import, if the goods have to be warehoused in the dock area. Offering ro-ro facilities, heavy cargo can either be rolled on or rolled off by trailers. Besides, the advantage of MbPT is that it is an enclosed dock and the sheltered conditions allow ships to be safely berthed. The loading and unloading operation requires a certain amount of precision when the cargo is over-dimensional. This is made possible if the ship is stationary and berthed in calm waters. Such enclosed dock conditions exist only in Mumbai port. If the size of the dock gates restricts the passage of over-sized cargo then we even have the gates demolished along with part of the wall to permit its passage.”

A case in point of MbPT being a preferred port is that JNPT has had to have their imported cranes unloaded at Mumbai port a few years’ back and then moved over to JNPT for erection at their port. ABG Shipyard, the largest private sector shipbuilding yard in India, also have their big import packages weighing over 250 tons each, unloaded onto barges and taken to the shipyard in Magdalla, Gujarat from Mumbai.

“Because of the sheltered condition of the Mumbai Port, users prefer MbPT,” points out a port official. “We have better connectivity not only to the Western countries but also globally. With several Indian companies participating in global tendering for infrastructure projects in Africa, the USA and Europe, there is an increasing tendency to move heavy cargo or ‘super capital goods’ through MbPT. So also when it comes to bringing in heavy equipment for projects, Mumbai port is found advantageous as it offers excellent road, rail and coastal connectivity permitting easy transport of equipment to the erection sites. Pune based Suzlon Energy Ltd. is a regular shipper for their windmill equipment involving giant size blades and electrical equipment through our port,” he said.

Heavy Lift specialist director, Mr. Hemant Bhatia informs that though the port is well geared with their own shore-based cranes with the magnitude of heavy cargo passing through the MbPT, three private operators are offering their floating cranes of between 60 ton to 250 ton capacity. Nord Scan lines also have their heavy lift vessel operating on the Indian coast ready to provide service to interested customers.