Page 46: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (March 15, 1969)

SNAME San Diego Section Inspects Desalting Plant As Guests Of Aqua-Chem One-hundred sixty naval architects, marine engineers and mechanical engineers with their wives and guests from San Diego and other California cities met recently at Rosarito Beach, Baja California. Mexico for a tour and technical paper presentation of the new Tiju-ana Seawater Desalting Plant. Comision Federal de Electricidad (CFE), the agency of the federal government respon-sible for the organization of all power genera-tion facilities in Mexico, sponsored the tour. Buses transported a majority of the party from Tijuana to the desalting plant at Rosarito Beach where plant engineers escorted the party on an interesting tour of the facilities. Those in attendance were members of The Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engi-neers, San Diego Section, their wives and guests, and members of the Los Angeles and San Francisco Sections of SNAME and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers of San Diego. Following the tour of the plant, a technical session was held at the Rosarito Beach Hotel where Charles D. Rose, vice-president of Aqua-Chem, Inc., welcomed the group. Aqua-Chem made all the arrangements for the tour and technical session. A special paper was presented by Armando B. Steinbruchel chief engineer. Aqua-Chem, Inc., assisted by Hector M. Zuccolotto, plant superintendent for Comision Federal de Elec-tricidad. The author commented on the fact that the Tijuana plant is the world's largest multi-stage flash seawater desalting plant cap-able of producing 7.5 million gallons of fresh water each day at a cost of only 65 cents for each 1,000 gallons. The fresh water produced is distributed to Tijuana and adjoining towns. This plant was designed and constructed by Aqua-Chem, Inc. and is one of many located throughout the world. Gordon N. Carpenter, San Diego SNAME Section chairman, Victor Millman, San Diego ASME chairman and Henry Rumble, Los Angeles, SNAME Section chairman agreed that this was the largest turnout of members and guests for a monthly meeting. The Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers, San Diego, on behalf of all those in attendance, expressed their appreciation and thanks to Armando Charval, CFE general su-perintendent and district engineer and to Aqua-Chem, Inc. for a very interesting and en-joyable meeting. British Place Study Contracts For Two Mammoth Tankers The British Ministry of Technology (Mintech) has announced that they are initiating a study into the technical problems involved in the design and construction of mammoth oil tankers. Belfast shipbuilders, Harland and Wolff, and Swan Hunter's on Tyneside, have been awarded the initial study contract to design two tankers, of 400,000 dwt and 1,000.000 dwt, at a cost of $288,-000. This, according to a Mintech spokesman, "will provide British shipbuilders with data to design and build vessels of these and any inter-mediate sizes." The study is being carried out in conjunction with Lloyd's Register of Shipping and the British Ship Research Association, which will also liaison with Mintech's National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and the Naval Construction Research Es-tablishment (NCRE) of the Ministry of Defense. Estimated to take some 18 months to complete, the study is a forward-looking move to give U.K. shipbuilders a lead in the very competitive market of building oil carriers of constantly increasing size. Two Towboats Ordered From Humboldt Boat Humboldt Boat Service, St. Louis, Mo., is to build two towboats for Shappert Engineering Co., Belvidere, 111. To be equipped with 460-total-bhp General Motors diesels, each vessel will have di-mensions of 50 feet by 18 feet by 5 feet. Steel Deck Barge ? JAMES G. ? 140'* 40' x 11'6" COAST WISE ADDITION TO A VERSATILE FLEET One of the new steel deck barges recently added to the Gillen fleet, the JAMES G. measures up to the high standards Gillen has set for both its equipment and services. Designed for both coastal and harbor work, the new barges are part of a continuing program to expand services for you with the finest and most versatile equipment available. LIGHTERAGE AND TOWING 140 CEDAR STREET. NEW YORK, N.Y. 10006 ? 212-964-8787 48 Maritime Reporter/Engineering News