B&W Product Tanker 'Petrobulk Mars' Is First Ship Ever To Be Equipped With One-Man Operated Bridge

The Danish shipyard Burmeister & Wain recently delivered the 84,000-dwt product tanker Petrobulk Mars, the first ship in the world to be equipped with a oneman operated bridge.

The vessel is classified by Det norske Veritas with the new class registration "Watch 1—Ocean Areas and Coastal Waters" (Wl-OC), which means that it can be operated safely by only one person on the bridge day and night under normal operating conditions, as soon as this has been approved by the IMO, the United Nations' International Maritime Organization. According to the international conventions, this has so far only been allowed in the daytime, and on approval of the highest ranking officer of the watch. Some of the largest seafaring nations are now working on an extension of this convention so as to apply also to navigation at night.

The class registration "Wl-OC" means that the ship fulfills special requirements as far as instrumentation and surveyance are concerned.

The bridge design enables the officer of the watch to operate all instruments unassisted at all times, have a clear view in all directions, be able to hear all signals, and by means of alarms be able to register any irregularities and errors no matter where they may occur onboard the ship. Furthermore, operational procedures are established which ensure that the bridge is manned at all times and that another qualified operator can attend the bridge within a specific response time in case of operator unfitness.

The classification rules have been prepared by Det norske Veritas in cooperation with Burmeister & Wain, who have helped in solving the technical problems.

The product tanker, type CPT 54E, is the 10th in the series of product tankers of this type built by the yard since 1985. The ship was con- tracted by Sonderjysk Erhvervsinvestering K/S-16 and chartered on a 15-year bareboat charter to Nordan Tankers 1 Inc. The owners behind the project are Naess, Jahre & Partners in cooperation with PetroBulk Carriers, consisting of Bulls Tankrederi A/S, Norway, Exmar N.V., Belgium, Mitsui O.S.K., Tokyo, and Shipping Development Company Limited (Erling D. Naess, Bermuda).

The ship will be operated commercially by PetroBulk Carriers A/S and technically by Naess Shipping (Holland) B.V. on behalf of Nordan Tankers 1 Inc.

Besides this product tanker, Burmeister & Wain Shipyard has orders for four more product tankers of the same type for delivery in 1989 and 1990.

For free literature giving full details on the facilities and capabilities of Burmeister & Wain Shipyard, Circle 22 on Reader Service Card

Maritime Reporter Magazine, page 56, Feb 1989

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First published in 1881 Maritime Reporter is the world's largest audited circulation publication serving the global maritime industry.