Chinese heavies hit town

June 06, 2008

Zululand OBSERVER

	Chinese heavies hit town Two new high-specification harbour-bunkering oil tankers from China entered the Port of Richards Bay on Monday aboard a special semi-submersible heavy-lift transport barge with the assistance of Transnet National Port Authority pilot tugs Ronelle Ramsamy TWO new high-specification harbour-bunkering oil tankers arrived in the Port of Richards Bay on Monday following a 42-day voyage from a southern Chinese shipyard. The 4,700 tonne deadweight sister ships were unusually carried as cargo aboard a special semi-submersible heavy-lift transport barge. In a delicate but slick operation, the vessels were successfully discharged from the barge on Tuesday. The intricate process saw the barge submerge and temporarily sit on the dock bottom, permitting the vessels to float freely off its deck. Shipping agents ISS-Voigt Shipping handled the complex arrangements and logistics. The vessels will be used to refuel ships in port in a safe and environmentally friendly manner. The ships will proceed under their own power to Durban later this week, where they will be fitted with locally supplied specialist bunkering equipment. One ship will then enter harbour bunkering service in Durban under contract to Sapref, while the sister vessel will be deployed in Cape Town to service a Chevron contract. Sophisticated The custom-designed mini-tankers were built in China for Unicorn Calulo Bunkering Services (Pty) Ltd of Durban, a joint venture company 75% owned by JSE-listed Grindrod Ltd through Unicorn Shipping, and Calulo Services (Pty) Ltd. Among the most sophisticated vessels of their type in the world, both carry the 'Cleanship' environmental notation assigned by respected ship classification society, Bureau Veritas. With a total of eleven cargo tanks able to carry gas oil, marine diesel oil and heavy fuel oil in totally segregated systems, the ships are able to deliver their cargo to customer vessels at rates of up to 1,000 tonnes per hour. Although built for harbour working, Unicorn Shipping designed these bunkering vessels to the same high standards as the company's modern fleet of large ocean-going tankers.