Page 18: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (February 15, 1973)

NKK Lays Keel

For World's Largest

Ore/Oil Carrier

The keel for the world's largest ore/oil ship, a 269,000-deadweight- ton carrier, has been laid at the Tsu yard of Nippon Kokan (NKK), Ja- pan's only integrated shipbuilder- steelmaker-fabricator.

NKK's New York shipbuilding de- partment said the vessel is scheduled for completion in mid-1973 and de- signed to bring Brazilian ore to Ja- pan, and Persian Gulf oil to Brazil.

The owner will be Seamar Ship- ping Corp. of Liberia, a subsidiary of Vale Do Rio Doce Navegacao

S.A. of Brazil. The vessel is being built to a standard design for 270,- 000-dwt-class ore/oil carriers devel- oped by NKK's Shipbuilding Divi- sion.

Five central tanks and 20 wing tanks will give the ship eight more cargo compartments than in other vessels of this size. This will conform to Inter-Governmental Maritime

Consultative Organization recom- mendations to lessen oil spillage in case of accident.

Other features include a fully auto- mated, unmanned engine room; inert gas system for protection against ex- plosion in tanks; special cargo control room for oil loading and unloading, and fixed cleaning equipment in each tank.

Overall length is 1,115.5 feet, length between perpendiculars 1,056.4 feet, breadth molded 180.4 feet, depth molded 92.8 feet, and draft 70.2 feet.

A turbine main engine developing 34,000 shp at 83.5 rpm will give the 169,500-gross-ton ship a service speed of about 15.5 knots.

Pacific Far East Line

Elects George Gmelch

Exec. Vice President

George J. Gmelch

George J. Gmelch, who was re- cently elected to the board of di- rectors, has 'been elected executive vice president of Pacific Far East

Line, Inc., San Francisco, Calif., it was announced >by president Leo

C. Ross. Leif M. Harris, previously operating manager, was elected vice president-operations to suc- ceed Mr. Gmelch. Mr. Gmelch came to PFEL in 1954 from The

East Asiatic Company. He previ- ously served as Director of Trans- portation for the U.S. Public Roads

Administration, assistant chief of operations for the U.S. Army

Transportation Corps-Los Angeles

Port of Embarkation, and freight traffic manager for Transmarine

Navigation Corporation in Los An- geles. He recently completed the

Advanced Management Program at

Harvard Business School.

Among his many association ac- tivities, Mr. Gmelch is past presi- dent, San Francisco Marine Ex- change ; past president, The Pro- peller Club-Port of San Francisco ; currently second national vice president, The Propeller Club; member of the national panel,

American Arbitration Association; director of Napa Valley Savings &

Loan Association, and past presi- dent, Foreign Trade Association of

Southern California. He is a mem- ber of the Commonwealth Club,

World Trade Club, Commercial

Club, and The Family Club.

National Boat Corp.

Applies For Title XI

To Build Six Vessels

The Maritime Administration has announced that National Boat Corp. of Houston, Texas, has applied for a Title XI guarantee to aid in finan- cing the construction of four ocean- going towing supply vessels, and two oil field supply vessels. The estimated cost of the project will be $10,600,000.

The first two towing supply ves- sels, to be constructed by American

Marine Corp. of New Orleans, La., will cost $2,100,000 each. Contracts have not as yet been awarded on the four other vessels.

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