Navigation standards slammed - Tanker Operator

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include ever larger containerships and
other types of vessels, the MARPOL emission
rules, the need for low sulphur burning
fuels in certain areas, electronically
controlled engines, plus the escalating
price of oil.
Taking ultra low sulphur fuel of 0.5%
or lower as an example, a vessel will need
to be fitted with two storage tanks for
cylinder oil. It must also be fitted with the
correct pipe work to change from one type
of cylinder oil to another. The ships' crew
must be properly trained to switch over
from one type of cylinder oil to the other at
the correct time, while carrying two cylinder
oils will increase lube oil costs and
ordering complexity. A larger lubricant
stock will need to be kept on board.
To cope with this, a new Talusia range
of lubricant is under development, which
should be ready in around 12 months. Of
course, it must have the approval of the
engine manufacturers and be proven in
the field.
The internet-based Diagomar Plus
reporting system is guaranteed to respond
in 48 hours, but 24 hours can also be
achieved. Customers and surveyors have
immediate access to their own reports,
which have been stored since 1999 and can
be identified by vessel name or registration
number. More than 220,000 analyses
are stored to date.
Bunker supplies
Another string to Total's bow is the supply
of bunkers. Total's bunkering sales and
development manager Denis Deutsch said
the overall bunker industry is increasing by
3%-5% every 12 months and currently
amounts to 150 mill tonnes per year. This
total is mainly made up of fuel oil (125 mill
tonnes), while distillates (gasoil, mdo and
mgo) make up the remaining 25 mill tonnes.
Total Marine Fuel's annual sales total
five mill tonnes split into 80 % physical
supplies and 20% trading. Since March of
this year, Houston has been added to the
list of outlets, supplied from a refinery in
Port Arthur (Texas).
IFO 380 cSt 1.5% sulphur is now available
at Dunkirk and Zeebrugge. The other
bunker stations in Brunsbuttel and
Immingham will supply low sulphur fuel
on demand. Barging represents over
80% of all deliveries worldwide. Like
Lubmarine, Total Marine Fuels is replacing
its original barge fleet with double hull
vessels. Brunsbuttel is Total's door to the
Baltic region, which becomes a SECA on
Denis Deutsch
TANKER
Operator
19th May this year.
For the ARA region, a 4,000 dwt barge
is due to come on stream in May this year
as is a 3,000 dwt barge for operations in
Gabon, which is under construction in
Turkey. Another of 2,700
dwt is due to be stationed at
Dunkirk this year.
In the ARA range, Total
has a timechartered barge
based at Antwerp, a new
declassified coastal vessel
built to IMO II specifications.
This can be used to serve
Zeebrugge at wave heights of
up to 1.75 m. Another barge
was built at Astrakhan in
Russia and is outfitting at
Dordrecht. She is due to be
christened in June.
Deutsch said that pumping
rates are up to 1,000
tonnes per hour and that the size of barges
in the Rotterdam area had increased to
10,000 – 12,000 tonne capacity. New MAR-
POL rules have been introduced, which
state that bunker sulphur content should
be within 4.5%, bunker delivery notes
should be provided, another sample taken
during delivery for the relevant authorities
to check and the vessel's IMO registration
number should appear on all bunker
delivery notes.
Deutsch thought that were would be
enough product available for the first
SECA area in the Baltic,
where bunkers will have a
cap of 1.5% sulphur content.
However, he said supply will
become questionable for any
new SECAs declared in the
Mediterranean, US and Asia
after 2010, or if the current
SECA cap is decreased.
At present, refineries are
not interested in fitting desulphurising
equipment, he
said. There are projects in the
Middle East Gulf, but they
have proved to be very
expensive. Studies are ongoing
into the fitting of scrubbers
and other ideas to get passed the
emission problem.
Deutsch said we would probably have
to see vessels fitted with two systems
plus the attendant piping on those trading
to and from the Baltic and North Sea
areas. Blending is not recommended on
board ship.
TO
Shipbuilding and repair take a buffeting
France's shipbuilding industry is a shadow
of its former self. Apart from a few
smaller yards concentrating on naval, specialist
craft and super yachts, the largest
yard involved with commercial shipbuilding
is Alstom's Chantiers de l'Atlantique.
However, even the future of this
famous yard could change as in a Eur500
mill deal, Aker Yards was due to takeover
the St Nazaire and Lorient yards of
Chantiers de l'Atlantique as
TankerOperator went to press.
The purchase, which has already
gained EU approval, will see Aker take a
75% stake in a new company to be formed,
leaving Chantiers with 25%. This agreement
only includes the shipyards and not
the other interests within the diverse
Alstom Group.
Part of the deal calls for Alstom to
retain the remaining 25% equity until 2010
after which it could be sold to Aker for a
further Eur125 mill.
Fabrice Theobald of the French
Shipbuilders Association claimed that
Europe was the largest area for shipbuilding
in revenue terms, partly due to cruise
and specialist shipbuilding, including
super yachts.
As for the St Nazaire shipyard,
Theobald said that it would continue to
market itself to the cruise and ferry industry,
but is now finding it difficult to compete
with South Korean shipyards for gas
ships. There are three LNGCs currently
building to be operated by Gaz de France,
but that could be the end of the road for
tankers. In the past the yard has delivered
innovative gas ships, ULCCs and VLCCs
during the past 40 years. The yard is cooperating
with Chinese yard Hudong over
the building of a series of gas ships for
domestic operation.
French shiprepair also seemed to be
going through a period of change. Many
large docks have shut down, including Le
Havre. Marseille, housing France's largest
repair complex, is hanging on by the skin
of its teeth, having agreed to sell off some
of the activities to Union Naval Barcelona
(UNB), part of the Boluda Group.
Previous Marseille shiprepairer,
Compagnie Marseillaise de Reparation
(CMR) started bankruptcy proceedings
last November. As a result, the Port
Autonome de Marseille (PAM) invited
tenders for the lease of Drydocks Nos 8
and 9. The large ULCC capacity Drydock
No 10 was closed as it was in need of
refurbishment. The other smaller docks
are now dedicated to super yacht and
other leisure vessels, plus some commercial
repairs.
The only bid received for the graving
docks was from UNB, which was considered
by the PAM to be technically competent,
but well short financially. However,
by April of this year, a deal had been
struck, despite the intervention of an
Italian company at the 11th hour.
UNB has agreed to lease the two docks
for 18 years with PAM receiving an annual
rent of Eur2.1 mill. The crane services
will be made available 24/7. The two
drydocks are 350 m and 250 m in length
respectively and have undergone a Eur10
mill upgrading programme during the
past five years. Much of the money was
spent on upgrading the entrance gates.
UNB has said that it intends to market
the docks for cruise vessels and large
LNG/LPG carriers. Parallel to the deal,
PAM's support services are being
revamped in an effort to reduce operating
costs and to optimise the level of service
on offer.
Last year, the two docks handled three
gas carriers and three tankers. The repair
manager told TankerOperator that the business
had increased as vessels tended to
spend longer time in drydock during
scheduled repair periods. On average,
vessels spent at least two weeks in dock.
PAM also has extensive afloat repair
wharves, some of which are located on the
outer wall while others are alongside the
closed giant No 10 dock. The use of individual
sub-contractors will not be allowed
if and when UNB takes over.
TO
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email: gms@gmsinc.net
tel: 1.301.759.9240 fax: 1.301.759.9260 Cumberland, MD 21502, USA
Aliaga • Alang • Chittagong • Gadani • Guangzhou • Huangpu • Jamnagar • Mumbai
TankerOperator May/June 2006 page 23
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