Page 12: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (November 1999)

Contracts FastShip Selects Gear Corporation As Supplier FastShip, Inc. has reached an agree-ment with Philadelphia Gear Corpora-tion to supply sophisticated transmis-sion equipment for the company's high-speed trans-Atlantic fleet. The $35 mil-lion order is the largest in Philadelphia Gear's 100-year history, bringing more than 100 direct and indirect jobs to the region. Per the agreement, Philadelphia Gear will supply 20 gearboxes ? five in each of FastShip's initial four vessels ? plus one spare gearbox and additional parts, as well as a 10-year service maintenance package. Philadelphia Gear will also participate in vendor financing of Fast-Ship, which intends to complete its total financing package by year-end 1999. The gearboxes will link the five Rolls-Royce marine Trent engines to Kamewa water jets, delivering a total of 250 MW or 335,000-hp. This propulsion package will enable the 860 ft. (262 m) vessels, carrying a 10,000-ton payload, to complete the passage from Philadelphia to Cherbourg in less than four days while sustaining speeds up to 40 knots. Circle 47 on Reader Service Card Vosper To Enter Negotiations For Fast Attack Craft VOSTER THORIVYCROFT 62 METRE FAST ATTACK CRAFT V Vosper Thornycroft (VT), has been selected to enter contract negotiations with Elefsis Shipbuilding and Industrial Enterprises for the supply of three 203 ft. (62 m) fast attack craft to the Hellenic Navy. With negotiations beginning soon, work is expected to start early next year with VT providing design, con-struction support and the ship's equip-ment to Elefsis in a contract worth about $331 million. The initial requirement is for a trio of craft with a possible follow-on order of at least four vessels. R&B Falcon Drilling Receives Letter Of Intent R&B Falcon Drilling has received a letter of intent from Petroleo Brasileiro S/A Petrobras for a two-year contract for the DP drillship Deepwater Frontier for operations offshore Brazil in up to approximately 8,900 ft. (2,712 m) of water. Capable of drilling in up to 10,000 ft. (3,048 m) of water, Deepwa-ter Frontier is 60 percent owned by R&B Falcon Corp. and 40 percent by Conoco. The vessel will sail to Brazil upon completion of its current one-well commitment in West Africa, with opera-tions for Petrobras expected to begin in November 1999. These two projects will essentially complete all of R&B Fal-con's 2.5 year drilling contract obliga-tion with respect to the Deepwater Fron-tier pursuant to the rig sharing agree-ment with Conoco. SIMPLY THE BEST! For free literature call us at 425-450-6088. Keppel Fels Repairs Tam Dao Drilling Rig Keppel Fels Limited has completed its $10 million contract with Vietnam-Russian joint venture company Vietsovpetro for the repair of jack up drilling rig Tam Dao. The MSC CJ 50 design rig was built IC-F1020M Limited Coast Base Station. IC-F30LTM ? ? ? ? vim nnviv ICOM's dual purpose radios are FCC approved* for use on land and sea. Our 45 watt IC-F1020M is ideal for business and services needing to communicate with vessels underway. The IC-F30LTM offers 5 full watts of power and 8+ hours of operation. Both radios work all U.S. and international marine channels, and offer the latest in by-channel PC programming. ICOM www.icomamerica.com ©1999 ICOM America, Inc. ? 2380 116th Ave- NE, Bellevue, WA 98004 ? 425-454-8155 ? The Icom logo is a registered trademark of ICOM, Inc. - FCC PART 80 (Marine), PART 90 (Commercial 2-way) ? F30LTM/1020MMR999 MIL ICOM rugged! Our dual purpose radios feature die-cast aluminum chassis and surface mount technology. Meets MIL STD 810 C/D/E for shock/vibration. Circle 267 on Reader Service Card 12 Maritime Reporter/Engineering News