Page 15: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (January 15, 1983)

The ro/ro Saudi Abha under construction at Kockums AB, Sweden.

Two Ro/Ro's For Saudi Arabia

Dedicated At Kockums, Four-Ship

Order Valued At $250 Million

The National Shipping Compa- ny of Saudi Arabia (NSCSA) re- cently dedicated the Saudi Abha and the Saudi Diriyah—reported- ly the largest ro/ro's in the world —during christening ceremonies held in Malmo, Sweden. The ro/ ro's are the first two of a $250 million, four-ship order awarded to the Swedish shipyard Kockums

AB.

Although both vessels were christened at the same time, the Saudi Abha was delivered ahead of schedule. The remaining vessels including the Saudi Diri- yah, will be delivered in 1983.

Each of the 38,500-dwt vessels has a capacity in excess of 2,000

TEUs—20-foot equivalent units.

With an overall length of 251 me- ters (823 feet 6 inches) and a width of 32.26 meters (105 feet 10!/4 inches), the vessels have the equivalent of 6 kilometers of roads onboard. Designed with a service speed of 19.5 knots, there are thrusters fore and aft to fa- cilitate maneuvering.

The stern ramp has a 400-ton loading capacity, enabling vehi- cles to load and discharge simul- taneously. The hoistable car decks of either vessel could accommo- date 450 American-size cars.

Much of the cargo being im- ported by Saudi Arabia includes such vehicles, buses, cranes, and earth-moving equipment.

The ro/ro's will join the Saudi

Riyadh and Saudi Makkah in the established NSCSA trade route after undergoing sea trials, Dr.

Abdulaziz Al-Turki, the line's managing director, said.

In addition to the increased cargo capacity provided by the new vessels, the expanded fleet will allow NSCSA to increase the frequency of its calls at the ports, shortening the time between sail- ings from 30 days to approxi- mately 15 days.

The new ships also enable

NSCSA to realize its goal of ex- panding its trade route to include the Far East. "The Saudi Abha will be oper- ated on one integrated service, connecting our country with the two most important trading na- tions for Saudi Arabia—the Far

East and the U.S. East Coast,"

Dr. Al-Turki said.

Sheikh Mohammad Al-Sugair, chairman of the NSCSA board of stockholders, dedicated the ves- sels in a ceremony that adhered to traditional Islamic custom, using water from the sacred spring Zam-Zam inside the grand

Mosque at Mecca. Joining Sheikh

Al-Sugair and Dr. Al-Turki from

NSCSA was Mohammad Al-Issa and Jamail Abdul Razaq. Saudi

Ambassador to Sweden Muham- mad Muhammad Khogair also attended the ceremony, accom- panied by the Swedish Minister of Industry Roine Carlsson and

Nore Sundberg, permanent Under

Secretary for the Swedish De- partment of Industry.

Title XI Sought For $60-Million Jackup To Be

Built By Levingston

Maritime and Offshore Equip- ment Leasing Co., a subsidiary of Paden, Inc., Orange, Texas, has applied for a Title XI guar- antee to aid in financing the con- struction of a 225 by 234-foot jackup offshore drilling vessel.

The vessel, which is proposed to operate in the offshore explo- ration industry, will be built by

Levingston Shipbuilding Co., also in Orange, and delivered in June 1984.

If approved, the Title XI guar- antee would cover $45 million or 75 percent of the estimated ac- tual cost of $60 million.

Aeroquip Names Manager,

Contract Administration, For

Marine/Military Products

Roderick K. Bowen has been promoted to manager, contract administration for Aeroquip Cor- poration's Industrial Division ma- rine and military product lines.

He will be-based at division head- quarters in Van Wert, Ohio.

Mr. Bowen assumes responsi- bility for contractual obligations with the Industrial Division's government and prime contrac- tor accounts. In addition, he will also supervise the marine Mili- tary product customer service group.

A native of Willshire, Ohio,

Mr. Bowen joined Aeroquip in 1958, and has served in produc- tion, engineering and customer relations capacities. Most recent- ly, he was supervisor of customer service for special product cate- gories.

Aeroquip Corporation of Jack- son, Mich., is a subsidiary of

Libbey-Owens-Ford Company (LOF). A worldwide leading man- ufacturer of fluid power and fluid system components, Aeroquip's diversified product lines include flexible hose, fittings and assem- blies ; quick-disconnect, V-band and mechanical pipe couplings and accessories: hydraulic and pneumatic cylinders; ball, rotary and swivel joints; custom engi- neered rubber products; spring brakes ; cargo control equipment; refrigeration / air-conditioning components; railroad products and aerospace components.

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