Yard expansion continues in the Far East

Continued, from page 60) contrast to Sembawang's Karimun development program, which involves a very remote area, there are already a number of industrial sites on Pulau Batam, including the PT Batamas repair yard, the PT Nanindah Mutiara newbuilding yard and an offshore fabrication yard owned by McDermott.

The two new graving docks at Jurong Shipyard Ltd. (JSL) and Keppel have both been virtually fully occupied throughout the past few weeks, although official opening ceremonies were scheduled during late August (Keppel) and October (JSL). The 400,000-dwt capacity ULCC graving dock at JSL has now had its fourth ship in for general repair work, the ship involved being Tokyo Tankers' 258,096-dwt VLCC Sunrise 11. This vessel was preceded by 258,090-dwt Japanese VLCC Idemitsu Maru, 413,160-dwt Chevron South America — the largest ship ever to be drydocked in Singapore, and 87,768-dwt Malaysian tanker M.T. Melor — the first ship to use the facility. Keppel's new 330,000-dwt capacity graving dock at the Tuas shipyard was opened on August 24th by the Singapore Prime Minister as the latest part of Keppel's reorganization program to centralize ship repair operations at Tuas following the closure of the City yard earlier this year. The facility has already had six ships in for general repair work, the latest being Navix's 124,292-dwt bulk carrier Chariot.

A second Floating Storage Unit (FSU) conversion contract has been placed with JSL by Singapore-based Tanker Pacific. The 178,344-dwt Intan project for Conoco has been underway for the most part of this year; the vessel is now nearing completion. The second vessel is the 323,094-dwt, 1974-built Deep Blue, formerly Saint Constantinos, which has been laid up in Jebel Ali since July 1994 with its sistership Saint Dimitrios, which is still there. The vessel is to be chartered to Maxus when the conversion is completed. The Singapore ship repair industry is somewhat bullish at present despite price levels remaining lower than many yards would like to see. The large tanker market is also a very important market in which the Singapore yards operate. Sembawang has been particularly successful during this year in the fourth survey market involving VLCCs, with seven such contracts already completed. The latest concerns 283,861-dwt Boree, which is managed by France Shipmanagement on behalf of Euronav Luxemborg SA.

On the newbuilding side of Singapore's maritime industry, it has been announced by Sembawang Corp. (SemCorp) that its newbuilding shipyard, Sembeth, is to close down by the end of next year. It is the consensus among some that JSL will be asked to complete any outstanding newbuilding orders. JSL has alsobeen in the market, winning an order for three 650-TEU containerships from local shipowner Neptune Orient Lines (NOL). Meanwhile, Hitachi Zosen has also announced a newbuilding expansion program, upgrading its facility from 12,000 to 30,000-dwt capacity.

Apart from Sembawang's announcement that Sembeth is to close, SemCorp has also announced that it is to take over its subsidiary Sembawang Maritime, which operates an extensive towage and salvage operation as well as a small repair and conversion yard in Singapore. Meanwhile, SemCorp has also looked at a share increase in JSL, in which it already holds a 20 percent stake. Singapore's Kvaerner Fjellstrand has won a high speed ferry contract involving two 131.2- ft. (40-m) Flying Cats, for Philippines-based Negros Navigation. Also in the fast ferry market, Tasmanian-based Incat has signed a deal with Hong Kong's Afai High Performance Ships to build three 255.9-ft. (78- m) ferries at a yard in Panyu on China's Pearl River, where Afai has a joint venture building yard with Hong Kong's Southern Shipping & Enterprise.

The largest order placed during the past two months on a worldwide basis has involved a series of six 135,000-sq-m LNG carriers as part of the latest round of deals offered to domestic shipowners by Korea Gas Corporation (KGC).

This U.S. $1.3-billion deal involves cooperation between ship operators and shipbuilding yards.

Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) will build two vessels to be operated by Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM); Daewoo Heavy Industies (DHI) will also build two ships for operation by Korea Line Corp. and Yukong Line; Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI), which makes its debut in the gas carrier market, will build one ship, to be operated by Yukong Line; and Hanjin Heavy Industries (HHHI) will build one vessel to be operated by its shipowning arm, Hanjin Shipping. Containment systems include Kvaerner Moss for the HHI ships, Technigaz for SHI, and Gaz Transport for the DHI and HHHI ships.

Malaysian state-owned shipowner Malaysian International Shipping Corp. (MISC) is rumored to have placed an order for two October, 1996 20,000-dwt chemical tankers with South Korea's HHI. HHI is also emerging as favorite for an order for three 2-m barrel VLCCs from Kuwait Oil Tanker Co. (KOTC). Talking of the South Korean shipbuilding industry, Halla Engineering & Heavy Industries (HE&HI) has announced plans to build a diesel manufacturing plant at its new $780-million Samho Shipyard. It is understood that HE&HI has signed a license deal with MAN B&W to build the slowspeed MC series. The main builder of diesel engines in South Korea has been, for many years, HHI, although Hanjung (formerly Korea Heavy Industries & Construction) and SHI both have licensing agreements with either MAN B&W or Sulzer.

New orders for South Korea have included a series of nine 25,000- dwt containerships from Germany's Fred Detjen and a series of six 46,000-dwt tankers from Sovcomflot for HE&HI's new Samho Shipyard; two 20,000-dwt containerships from Hansa Treuhand for HHHI; two Suezmax tankers from Seatankers Management for Hyundai; four 35,000-dwt containerships from HHI, also from Detjen; and a total of nine containerships from Detjen for SHI.

Japanese shipyards have reported a 46 percent improvement in export orders gained during July this year compared with the same month last year. A total of 20 ships (652,370 gt) were ordered during the month. From the domestic market, Hitachi Zosen has won an order for a 258,000-dwt VLCC from Mitsui OSK Lines.

It has been confirmed that IHI's Kure shipyard will build the two 6,200+ TEU containerships for P&O Containers. IHI has also won an order from Marfm Management for two 42,600-dwt bulk carriers. Singapore's Neptune Orient Lines (NOL) has increased an order for 4,918-TEU containerships from two to four from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), and has also ordered a series of four 72,000-dwt bulk carriers from Sasebo Heavy Industries (SHI).

Indonesia's state-owned oil company, Pertamina, has placed charter contracts with various shipowners to build at least eight newbuildings at yards in Singapore, mainland China, Japan and South Korea.

These include two 17,500-dwt units from Hanjin Heavy Industries (HHIC); two similarlysized vessels from an unnamed mainland Chinese shipyard; small crude carriers from Singapore's Pan United and Japan's Sasebo Heavy Industries (SHI); and two 30,000-dwt units from South Korea's HHI and Singapore's Sembeth, although this last order is likely to be subcontracted to JSL upon Sembeth's closure.