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pace in recent years, the SSP is now coming into its own, bringing the con- cept of podded propulsion to new seg- ments of the market.

Following the breakthrough order for a 5.1-MW unit on a 19,000-dwt

Swedish petrochemical tanker newbuild in China, SSP podded electric drives have been selected by German TT-Line for its new class of Baltic ferries. They have also been specified for Costa cruise ship rebuild and COSCO heavy- lift vessel new-construction projects.

The particular merits of the system in the context of efficient RoRo design have also been underscored by Fin-

Chiles Offshore Files IPO

Chiles Offshore LLC, a unit of off- shore oil exploration company Seacor

Smit Inc., has filed for an initial public

American Stock Exchange listing. The company predicted it will net about $ 135 million in proceeds from the share sale, which it plans to use to purchase or retire all of its currently outstanding senior notes. Chiles, which operates three of the seven ultra-premium drilling rigs in the GOM, also plans to use some of the money to fund a fleet expansion.

Aker Wins $89M Contract

Aker Finnyards and SeaFrance have signed a contract worth more than $88.9 million for the construction of a new car- passenger ferry for the Dover-Calais route. Touted as the fastest and largest vessel to ever operate on that route, the 607 ft. (185 m) ferry is scheduled for a

September 2001 delivery. Able to trans- port 1,900 passengers and 700 cars at speeds of up to 25 knots, the vessel will reportedly the fastest of its kind operat- ing on its route; reducing crossing time to approximately one hour.

Circle 13 on Reader Service Card

PDVSA Close To LNG Deal

Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) is preparing to sign an agreement with

Enron to build the country's first lique- fied natural gas (LNG) export plant.

Located in the eastern oil port of Jose, the $600 million facility will have an annual capacity of 2.1 million tons of

LNG and should start operation in 2004.

It will be the first LNG plant to be built in gas-rich Venezuela.

Tidewater To Purchase PSV

Tidewater has signed a letter of intent to purchase M/V Ace Navigator from the

Sanko Steamship Co. of Tokyo, Japan for $22.5 million. Constructed in Octo- ber 1999, Ace Navigator is a UT 745 design platform supply vessel that is able to work in both harsh weather and deep water. Measuring 275 ft. (83.8 m), the vessel is rated at 9,600-bhp with full dynamic positioning capabilities. cantieri's nomination of the twin SSP units for a proposed new type of large passenger RoRo ferry.

Unlike its contemporaries, SSP is based on a permanent-magnet motor (PEM), proven in naval applications.

Heat generated inside the drive is trans- ferred direct to the surrounding seawa- ter, requiring the smallest possible void space within the stern section of the ves- sel. By contrast, pod systems using con- ventional electric motors require inter- nal air cooling, necessitating space for coolers in the after part of the hull.

Harland & Wolffs order from Seamas- ters International of the Bahamas is sub- ject to intervention aid, financing and guarantees. The provisional agreement spans four vessels of the 6,500-dwt

Atlantic 4000 class, formulated by

Oslo-based SeaTrade, and carries options on fifth and sixth ships. The diesel-electric podded propulsion sys- tem is one contributor to the 15-20 per- cent improved fuel efficiency claimed for the Atlantic 4000 relative to compet- ing designs. The other main influences are reduced steelweight, optimized hull lines, and special load sharing software controlling the main engines.

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