Spanish Yard Gondan Delivers Two Landing Craft To Kenya

The Spanish shipyard Gondan, a member of the private-yard organization Construnaves-CNE, delivered two 197-foot (60-m) bpp landing craft to Galway Ltd. of Kenya. The craft are self-propelled and equipped to load and unload wheeled cargo vehicles on beaches, ferry ramps, etc. They are fitted with a 13-foot (4-m) wide hydraulicdrive folding ramp forward, designed to support large-trailer traffic and other wheeled loads of up to 70 tons. The deck is adequately reinforced for this traffic and is fitted with the corresponding vehicle fastenings and lashing elements.

On the port and starboard forecastles, two cranes are arranged for auxiliary boat maneuvers and cargo handling on deck. The two units have been built under the inspection of Lloyd's Register of Shipping, to class notation +100 A1 Landing Craft LMC.CCS.

Maneuverability & Automation The builder claims that the vessels have great speed and safety in cargo loading and unloading provided by their vehicle handling facilities, and that the Galana and Tana are characterized by extraordinary maneuverability and highly automated control systems. Each craft is propelled by two MTU diesel engines (1,350 BHP at 1,500 rpm) built by Spanish licensee E.N. Bazan. Along with two rudders and a bow thruster, this propulsion plant arrangement provides the craft's great maneuverability, as was demonstrated in sea trials. Galana and Tana were fitted with a control room within the engine room for monitoring during navigation and maneuvers. Duplicate remote controls of engine ramp and reverse gear are installed both on bridge and in engine room control space. An exhaust gas temperature monitor and centralized alarm and monitoring console, including main-engine, auxiliary-engine, steering-gear, firefighting and other warning signals, are installed in the control room, along with the main electrical switchboard. Groupedalarm repeaters are fitted on the bridge and in the captain's cabin. Construnaves-CNE says the delivery of these two units is proof that there is export potential from the private Spanish yards and their capacity to meet owner specifications with precision, including in nonconventional buildings, as is the case of the two landing craft Galana and Tana. For more information on Construnaves-CNE, Circle 7 on Reader Service Card