Page 45: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (May 1994)

McDermott, Shipbuilding Ventures Inc. Sign

Agreement To Build Product Carriers In U.S.

Shipbuilding Ventures, Inc. (SVT), formerly U.S. Shipbuilding Consor- tium, Inc., and McDermott Ship- building, Inc. announced the sign- ing of an agreement forming a new joint venture company to build prod- uct carriers and other ships based on the Skarhar design for simpli- fied, longitudinally framed ships.

Along with thejointventure news, it was announced that SVI and the

Skaarup Group were ordering a ship from the new venture.

Under the joint venture agree- ment, Shipbuilding Ventures, Inc., a member of the Skaarup Group, will contribute exclusive rights to the proprietary Skarhar design to the new company, which will be known as U.S. Shipbuilding Corpo- ration (USSC).

The Skaarup Group and SVI will provide design, process, technical and marketing support, while

McDermott will provide capital con- tribution, engineering and techni- cal support. McDermott Marine

Construction's Morgan City, La. fa- cility will serve as the principal con- struction site. "I am very pleased that our rela- tionship with McDermott has been firmly established, and I am confi- dent this is an important step in our efforts to assist in a revival of com- mercial shipbuilding in the United

States," said Ole Skaarup.

Said Brinson Miles, general manager, shipbuilding projects at

McDermott Shipbuilding, "Our goal is to make shipbuilding an impor- tant element of McDermott's busi- ness. By entering this joint ven- ture, we take a significant step to- wards our goal."

THE ORDER

The Skaarup Group and SVI signed a letter of intent with USSC for the construction of a 40,000-dwt product carrier, with an option for a second. SVI and the Skaarup Group plan to pursue innovative financ- ing for the vessel, financing which may include Maritime Administra- tion Title XI export financing assis- tance. The ship ordered will be built for international service, char- tered and operated with the techni- cal assistance of the Skaarup Group.

The ship represents the first in a series of generic ships USSC ex- pects to build at competitive world prices, based on the Skarhar design and using innovative modular con- struction techniques. Delivery of the first ship is scheduled for the second half of 1996.

McDermott Shipbuilding, Inc. is a unit of McDermott International,

Inc., a leading worldwide energy services company. The company

Diagram of Skarhar midbody (tank unit). and its subsidiaries manufacture steam-generating equipment, envi- ronmental equipment, and govern- ment and aerospace products. The company also provides engineering and construction services for indus- trial and utility facilities onshore, and to the oil and gas industry off- shore. For additional information on the new joint venture,

Circle 34 on Reader Service Card

Kvaerner Unveils New

Double Hull Arctic Tanker

To help unlock the oil and gas reserve potential from the severe environmental conditions in the

Arctic continental shelf, Kvaerner

Masa-Yards debuted a special tanker vessel designed to operate in both open water and ice conditions.

The new tanker design also has a propulsion arrangement option—incorporating either a pair of diesel engines (top) or an Azipod propulsion unit (bottom).

The arctic tanker design is 120,000-dwt, with an overall length of 915 feet (279 m), a breadth of 141 feet (43 m) and a draft of 56 feet (17 m). According to the shipyard, 120,000 dwt is the maximum practi- cal size for vessels operating in the shallow coastal waters of the Rus- sian Arctic Shelf.

PROPULSION

The vessel is designed for me- dium speed diesel or Azipod propul- sion options. The medium speed diesel alternative consists of a pair of15,600-kW diesels driving a single controllable-pitch propeller through twin input, single output reduction gear with a built-in thrust bearing.

The Azipod propulsion alterna- tive comprises a new generation AC-

AC power plan and two 15 MW

Azipod propulsion units. The sys- tem, according to the yard, is ideally suited for operation in ice, and the compact arrangement allows more space for cargo tanks, or perhaps a shorter vessel length.

THE HULL

The double hull design fulfills the new requirements of Marpol 73/78 jJV'':,"'k —a ft ft u If , ^rm ' "V —v-rt —JfcSl. si I,— A __ If /

Kvaerner Masa-Yard's new 120,000-dwt arctic tanker design is available with a bulbous bow or in an icebreaking version.

Annex I regulation 13 F. Ice strengthening is in accordance to

DNV Ice-10; the tanker's double bottom and sides are ice-strength- ened. Two alternative hull forms have been developed by Kvaerner

Masa-Yards. Hull A, with its bul- bous bow, performs better in open water, whereas Hull B, with its ice- breaking stern, performs best in ice. Hull A is capable of operating independently in level ice of up to 2.3 ft. (.7 m); Hull B in ice up to 3.3 ft. (1 m).

CARGO HANDLING

The ship is mainly intended to carry crude oil in seven tanks. It features three cargo segregates and can also transport oil products as return cargo to service distant arctic communities. Each cargo tank is fitted with its own variable-speed electric deep-well pump. The tanks are heated by a thermal oil system to reduce the risk of icing up of the heat exchangers and pipes. The cargo piping on the weather deck is placed under protective cover. The ballast water pumps are also of the deep- well type, so no separate ballast water pump room is needed. The basic vessel design can be altered for shuttle tanker service with relatively minor modifications, the yard re- ports. For more information from

Kvaerner Masa-Yards,

Circle 119 on Reader Service Card

May, 1994 47