Tsuneishi Wins Contract To Build 125,000-DWT Shuttle Tanker

Along awaited decision has been made on the contract to build a 125,000- dwt North Sea shuttle tanker for Stena Ugland for a long-term charter to Esso. The contract has been awarded to Tsuneishi Shipbuilding at Numakuma. Meanwhile, Tsuneishi is currently looking at an overseas expansion program involving a shipbuilding yard, Kamaman Heavy Industries, in Malaysia. The project is a joint venture with Tsuneishi and the Teregganu governments holding 30 percent stakes, with 40 percent owned by local Malaysian shipping interests.

Hong Kong's Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) has been busy on the charter market giving contracts to four Panamanian companies for long-term charters on four 1,560-TEU containerships to be built at Japan's Imabari Shipbuilding.

Japan's Hitachi Zosen has also been busy in the newbuilding market with orders for two woodchip carriers from Japan's NYK Line, a 258,000-dwt VLCC from Mitsui OSK Lines and additional Panamax bulk carriers from Nichimen Corp. Meanwhile, Sasebo Heavy Industries has won contracts for three Panamax bulk carriers — two from Hong Kong's Worldwide Shipping and one from Gowill Co., also based in Hong Kong. Other orders for Panamax bulk carriers have been won by Shin Kurushima Dockyard from Daiichi Chuo Kisen, and by Sumitomo Heavy Industries from Mitsui & Co. In regards to the large tanker market, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) has won an order from a consortium of companies including Runciman (U.K.) and Golden Ocean Tankers (Vancouver) for a 305,000-dwt ULCC.

South Korean Business Takos Off Newbuilding activities in South Korea have taken off during the past two months: .Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) has won a contract from Australia's Woodside Offshore Petroleum to build a FPSO for use in the Timor Sea. The oil storage capacity will be 200,000-cu.-m. This latest offshore order for SHI comes shortly after a contract from Conoco for a double-hulled drillship for delivery during 1998. SHI has also come to a basic agreement with U.S. oil major Chevron for the construction of two VLCCs, which would be the first international order for large tankers won by this shipyard.

Currently, Samsung is building a 308,000-dwt ULCC for Yukong Line; and both Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) and Daewoo Heavy Industries (DHI) have won orders from Malaysian International Shipping Corp. (MISC). HHI has an order for two 2,700-TEU vessels, and DHI has won a $68 million contract to build two 1,200-TEU containerships, both due for delivery in 1998. HHI is also looking to expand its VLCC orderbook with negotiations currently underway with HyundaiMerchant Marine for four such ships, and with Kuwait Oil Tanker Co. (KOTC) for two VLCCs.

HHI has increased its orderbook for large containerships with three more 4,300-TEU vessels from Denmark's AP Moller. The yard already has four such vessels on order. Daedong Shipbuilding has won an order for an additional Panamaxbulk carrier from Four Seasons Overseas to be built at the recently-completed Chinhae Shipyard.

South Korean industrial conglomerate Hanbo Group is considering investing $1 billion in a shipbuilding and repair facility in the Philippines. This was announced by the Philippine Board of Investments (Bol), a government agency tasked with promoting the Philippines as an investment side and providing tax incentives to pri- 58 Circle 255 on Reader Service Card ority industries. According to Bol's Korean desk officer Angie Cayas, Hanbo is in the process of looking for an ideal site for the labor intensive project which is expected to generate 20,000 jobs.

Classification society Germanischer Lloyd (GL) has opened an office in Busan, South Korea. The new office is headed by Heinz Wagner, who is GL's principal surveyor in South Korea.

Hopes for new orders by Taiwan's China Ship Building Corp. (CSBC) hang on current negotiations with local boxship owner Yangming Marine for a series of six 4,800 to 5,000-TEU vessels, scheduled for delivery in 1998.

Mainland China's China Ocean Shipping Co. (COSCO) has been busy in the newbuilding market with orders for two Panamax and three 47,500-dwt bulk carriers, all from Hudong Shipyard, Shanghai.

Bangkok's Myanmar Shipping has also been active in mainland China with an order for two 12,000-dwt general cargo vessels from Xingang Shipyard, Tianjing. Singapore's Steamers Maritime has increased its order for 746- TEU gear containerships from Jinland Shipyard from four vessels to six.

During the year ending September, Thailand's Unithai has drydocked of 39 vessels for owners from Greece, Japan, Poland, China, Norway, Cyprus, the U.S. and Thailand. Included in this work was the yard's first cargo tank blasting and coatings contract, the re-activation of a Greek OBO from dry bulk to a tanker, and the drydocking of the Royal Thai Navy's largest frigate. Meanwhile, the yard's expansion program continues with the completion of a new 3,500-sq.-m steel fabrication shop, which will be fully operational by the end of this year.

A 5,990-ton lifting capacity syncrolift has been ordered by Indonesia's PT Batamas Jala Nusantara, a division of Sanwa Singapore Agencies.

Since opening a new 984 x 203 x 39-ft. (300 x 62 x 11.9-m) graving dock during March 1995, Guangzhou Wenchong Shipyard, located at Guangzhou near Hong Kong, has successfully moved into the international market. This year the yard has repaired 93 ships, of which only 10 percent were originally built in China. The largest was Zodiac Maritime's 201,227-dwt bulk carrier BrazilStar, which was in the yard in April. Another highlight has been repair contracts for nearly 20 ships from Greek shipowner Niarchos.

Singapore's Star Cruises fleet is expanding with the purchase of Golden Princess, which is currently on a long-term charter to P&O Cruises and most recently has been cruising the U.S. West Coast. The vessel will be delivered to Star sometime this month, following its last voyage with P&O. Golden Princess will then be refitted, most likely in Singapore, and renamed SuperStar Capricorn.

Approximately 200 ships have been drydocked in Singapore Technologies Shipbuilding & Engineering (STS&E) since April 1994. The yard has also seen a 10 percent increase during the first six months of this year, compared with the first six months of 1995. Singapore-based engineering company Nortrans Engineering Group has won a contract to convert the 1971-built, 70,459-dwt tanker Cove Endeavour, which has been laidup in Mobile since March 1995, to a FPSO for use off the Indian coast by Hitech Drilling Services, India — the main contractor to Vaalco Energy India.

Singapore's Singmarine Dockyard and t he Black Sea Shipping Co. (Blasco) of Odessa, have settled their dispute over damage to cruise liner Belorussiya in 1992. Blasco initially issued a writ against the yard for $60 million after the 13,251-grt ship toppled over when a floating dock sank with the liner inside it. Sources close to the settlement confirmed an agreement had been reached which was acceptable to both parties. The final sum for Blasco was reportedly somewhat less than the $60 million claimed. Due to a shift in the center of its main market, Sweden's Kvaerner Ship's Equipment (KSE) will move its corporate headquarters from Singapore to Oslo. The new headquarters will be headed by Roar Engang (president) and his team will include: Audun Roeneid, senior vice president, Finance; Sigurd Gude, executive vice president, Spares and After Sales Service; and Sverker Moeller, executive vice president, Sales & Marketing. Meanwhile, Terge Gjos will stay on as vice president, Marketing, in Gothenburg, Sweden, working from KSE's office in Tranby on the outskirts of Oslo. Madras-based ship repair yard Chokhani International is in the process of acquiring a floating dock for $14 million from Israel Shipyards. The reason behind the sale is a lack of ship repair business in Israel and the loss offender for building patrol boats for the Israeli Navy. For example Zim Israel opts to repair its vessels in Greece. If the deal goes through, the new dock will complement the yard's existing tow floating docks, the largest measuring 623 x 105 ft. (190 x 32 m) with a lifting capacity of 14,000 tons. Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works has been asked by a Pakistan Governmental body to give information on its financial position before a decision on privatization.

Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan's Prime Minister, discussed privatization of KSEW with the Hyundai and Daewoo groups in South Korea.