Page 4: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (December 1996)

O ur editorial office was once again deluged with applications and information from shipyards around the world which were vying to have their ships included in this year's Great Ships feature. While the ritual of reviewing and processing the applications is at times daunting, it's very satisfying to be associated with a program which is so wildly popular.

This year's gallery of Great Ships includes traditional award recipients, as well as newcomers, including a pair of Croatian-built vessels. The selection also includes many unique vessels, including Germany's largest double hull oil tanker (from Lindenau), as well as the world's largest containership with the most powerful diesel engine (from Odense Steel Shipyard).

This selection of outstanding vessels is laden with containerships, as seven of the 20 ships reviewed are of this type. This does not include an eighth containership, which both literally and figuratively stands alone in this edition. I refer to the new boxship of Bremer Vulkan Compact Class, BV2700C, which allows for the carriage of 12 containers in a Panamax hull. The story on this unique ship, which for all practical purposes is the 21st Great Ship of this edition, is presented on page 10.

For the first time, a conversion project is included in the Great Ships mix, an honor bestowed upon New

Orleans-based Avondale for its work on the four tanker rebuild project for AHL. The completion of

Captain H.A. Downing represents not only a significant technical feat, but also proves the capability of

Avondale's new ship factory to run concurrent commercial and navy orders.

While perusing the Great Ships section, readers will notice that there is not a single Japanese-built ship mentioned. This is not a grievous error, rather a calculated tribute. The decision was made to present a comprehensive review of the entire Japanese Maritime Industry within the context of the Great Ships fea- ture, given the stature of Japanese yards' commercial building prowess. The review, which includes infor- mation on several significant ships built in Japan this past year, begins on page 42.

Speaking of great ships (again), Associate Editor Bridget Murphy had the opportunity to board and review the largest cruise ship in the world, Carnival Destiny. The Destiny, as is the tradition with

MR/EN, will be fully reviewed in the February 1996 Outstanding Cruise Ships editorial. The prelimi- nary report on the ship starts on page 18.

On a final note, I am sad to report that International Editor Graeme MacLennan, 79, has passed away.

Graeme was a maritime industry journalistic stalwart and an expert on marine propulsion. He served in the Royal Navy during WWII, and won the Distinguished Service Cross. Graeme's invaluable insight and perspective — which he shared freely -- cannot be replaced. He will be sorely missed. His final report cov-

Gregory R. Trauthwein, editorial director

Please contact me with any comments regarding the publication and!or news leads at: tel: (212) 477-6700; fax: (212) 254-6271; or e-mail: [email protected].

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