April 1977 - Maritime Reporter and Engineering News

Guralnick Designs Seven Vessels For Mariana Islands Service

The office of the High Commissioner, Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Saipan, Mariana Islands, has signed a contract for the construction of seven vessels to be used in the Trust Territory.

Hajimu Namura, president of the Namura Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. of Osaka, Japan, signed as "party of the first part," and William P. Flanagan, Director of Transportation and Communications of the Trust Territory, signed as contracting officer for the TT as "party of the second part," while Acting Deputy High Commissioner Juan Sablan and other dignitaries looked on.

The contract calls for the delivery of the first ship in October 1977 and for delivery of one ship every three months thereafter until March 17, 1979, when the seventh vessel is to be delivered.

An option for the construction of an eighth vessel was also included. The cost of each ship will be $1,188,000.

The vessels will carry passengers and cargoes of food and general merchandise. On the return trip, copra will be carried to the district center for transshipment.

The new ships were designed by Morris Guralnick Associates, a San Francisco, Calif., firm of naval architects, which also assisted in the selection of the building yard. The ships will be 185 feet in length overall, 33 feet in beam, 15 feet in depth, and will have a maximum displacement of 1,200 tons on a draft of 11 feet. Deadweight tonnage, which is the weight of cargo, passengers, fuel, water and provisions the ship can safely carry, will be 650 tons. Twin GM diesel engines of 455 hp to each of the twin screws will provide a speed of 11 knots. Berthing accommodations for 12 passengers will be provided and carriage of 100 deck passengers will be permitted. Each ship will have a crew of 23 men.

Of the 38 shipyards which submitted bids on the construction programs, Namura was chosen as the most attractive based on, among other things, price, quality of work observed, industrial reputation of the company and delivery-time schedule. All bids were screened and the five shipyards with greatest possibility for acceptance were visited by Mr. Flanagan, accompanied by Mamora Nakamura, deputy attorney general and a consultant from the Guralnick office. Final selection of Namura was by unanimous vote of a TTPI selection committee established for that purpose

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