Features: - Tanker Operator

Anthony Veder’s innovative hybrid gas carrier - the 7,500 cu m LNG/LEG/LPG carrier
Coral Methane* - is due to enter service in December this year.
She was launched at the Gdansk
shipyard of Remontowa on 7th
May this year and is being built on
an owner/supplier basis.
Anthony Veder's managing director Jan
Valkier explained that the company was in
total control of the shipbuilding process, due
to the Coral Methane's complex design. There
were options attached to the original building
contract but these have expired.
The gas plant and tanks were designed and
developed by TGE Engineering. The
Hamworthy Svanehoj pumps had to be
redesigned to cope with LNG and other
gasses. Rolls-Royce supplied the complete
power and propulsion package, which
includes Bergen Diesel gas/diesel electric
propulsion unit and a twin Azipull propulsion
system for ease of manoeuvrability.
Coral Methane is being built to Bureau
Veritas Ice Class 1B and will fly the Dutch
flag. She has been chartered to Gasnor for 15
years but will used by other operators when
not engaged in Gasnor's LNG trade, which
will be mainly confined to the Norwegian
coast. She has been fitted for ship-to-ship
transfers and will also be able to load at most
European gas receiving terminals, including
the two being built in Rotterdam, acting as a
North European/Norway/Baltic Sea feeder.
Valkier admitted that the Coral Methane
had a larger capacity than currently needed in
Norway, but was convinced the trade will
grow as several Norwegian controlled coastal
vessels, such as ferries and offshore supply
vessels, now use LNG as their main fuel
source.
Anthony Veder technically and
commercially manages 15 LPG/Ethylene
carriers and has another four under purely
commercial management. The company
operates its own commercial pool in which the
other four vessels are included.
Like everywhere else, crewing is a problem
as the seafarers need a gas certificate and gas
experience. The company has a pool of Dutch,
Ukrainian and Indonesian officers and as
salaries have been rising appreciably, Valkier
thought that the incentives were in place to
recruit proper candidates. Gas courses are
available in Rotterdam and training is also
undertaken on board ship.
Anthony Veder operates a cadet programme
where potential seafarers are taken on
annually. Demands have also been put on the
shore staff. For example, the safety and
quality department used to consist of just one
person, but now there are three people
TECHNOLOGY - SHIP DESCRIPTION
Hybrid gas carrier
sets the standard
employed. In general Valkier thought that the
business was more demanding and there were
occasions where the crew was less
experienced than would be preferred resulting
in more supervision being necessary.
Veder favours the Dutch and Liberian flags
and although most of the vessels trade in
European waters, including the Mediterranean
and the Baltic, two vessels have been trading
for Japanese trading houses in Asia since 2000
and another newbuilding will join them
shortly.
Three of the vessels have been built to
Finnish/Swedish Ice Class 1A thus
guaranteeing them winter shipments in the
Northern Baltic, especially Finland.
A few months ago, Veder purchased
Bergesen Gas' Ice Class 1A 6,100 cu m BW
Helen on the back of a charter from YARA to
lift ammonia cargoes.
The ships mainly lift petrochemicals (80%)
and the remaining 20% of the cargoes are
made up of LPG. Other projects could be on
the horizon, including the carriage of CO 2 and
the question of shipping carbon capture
cargoes.
Charterers' vetting procedures tended to be
quite strict and Anthony Veder is also
involved with the TMSA process. About 70%
Once delivered, Coral
Methane will be
chartered to Gasnor
for 15 years.
August/September 2008 � TANKEROperator 43