ABS Classes 127 New Vessels In September

The American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) classed 127 new vessels worldwide in September. The vessels totaled 1,705,864 deadweight tons, or 940,520 gross tons, and included 13 bulk carriers, four very large crude carriers (VLCCs), one roll-on/roll-off vehicle carrier, and two tugboats designed to operate as part of two rigidly integrated tug-barge units.

The bulk carriers, all built in Japan, range in size from the 14,924-dwt, twin-screw Tarpon, built by Hitachi Shipbuilding & Engineering Co., Ltd., Mukaishima, for Lib-Ore Steamship Company, Inc., Monrovia, Liberia, to the 36,360-dwt Rimba Sepetir, built by Osaka Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., Osaka, for Malaysia International Shipping Corp., Berhad, Kuala Lumpur.

The largest VLCC classed was the David Packard of 406,592 dwt, owned by Chevron Transport Corp., Monrovia, and built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd., Nagasaki, Japan. Other VLCCs classed were the 250,621-dwt Italian-flag Agip Abruzzo, built by Italcantieri, S.p.A., Monfalcone, for SNAM, S.p.A., Milan; and the 153,843-dwt Arco Mariner and 153,829-dwt Arco Discovery, both built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd., Nagasaki, for Sequoia Marine Corporation, Monrovia.

All four VLCCs classed are fitted with an inert gas system and incorporate various grades of higher strength steel in their construction.

The r o l l - on / r o l l - o f f carrier classed is the Westward Venture, a three-deck vessel built by Sun Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co., Chester, Pa., for 675 Leasing Co., Wilmington, Del. The ship can carry 395 trailers and 66 automobiles.

Classed in September was the twin-screw Seabulk Magnachem, a catamaran tugboat designed to operate as part of a rigidly integrated tug-barge unit. The 116- foot-long tug, with a diesel drive totaling 14,000 bhp, propels a 582- foot-long barge by fitting securely around the stern of the barge.

The unit is held rigidly in place by a system of hydraulically operated wedges. The United Statesflag tug was built by Kelso Marine, Inc., Galveston, Texas, for Central National Bank of Cleveland as Trustee, Cleveland, Ohio.

Also classed, and designed as part of a rigidly integrated tugbarge unit, was the twin-screw Valerie F, built by Southern Shipbuilding Corp., Slidell, La., for Intercoastal Bulk Carriers, Inc., San Francisco, Calif. This 151- foot-long tug, with a diesel drive totaling 16,000 bhp, is secured by means of a system of hydraulically operated wedges and jacks into the stern notch of a 620- foot-long barge.

The American Bureau of Shipping is a nongovernmental, worldwide ship classification society which establishes internationally accepted standards, called Rules, for the design, construction, and periodic survey of merchant vessels and other marine structures.

Maritime Reporter Magazine, page 67, Nov 1977

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