Page 33: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (August 2006)

August 2006 33

VT Halter Marine Makes

Strides on High-Tech

NOAA Vessels

VT Halter Marine has had success in building a series of new fisheries survey vessels for NOAA. Not only must the ships withstand the rigors of sea duty, they feature a number of technological advances that enable the ships to carry out exacting scientific studies in an effi- cient manner. Recently, a traditional keel laying ceremony was held for

NOAA ship Pisces, preceded by the ini- tial cutting of steel for the fourth and final vessel in the series. These sister ships will join NOAA ships Oscar

Dyson and Henry B. Bigelow, which were also built by VT Halter Marine. "With this new class of vessel, NOAA is increasing the efficiency of its fish- eries research with state-of-the art tech- nology. These ships are so quiet, for example, that we expect scientists to be able to study fish and marine mammals with little impact on their behavior," said Rear Admiral Samuel P. De Bow

Jr., NOAA, who is director of NOAA's

Office of Marine and Aviation

Operations and NOAA Commissioned

Officer Corps. The 208-ft. ships are being built to meet the requirements of

NOAA Fisheries Service as well as the acoustic quieting standards set by the

International Council for Exploration of the Seas.

Main Particulars

Owner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .NOAA

Mission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Fisheries Survey

Length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .208 ft. (63.6 m)

Beam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 ft. (15 m)

Depth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28 ft. (8.65 m)

Maximum Draft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 ft. (5.9 m)

Main engine . . . . . . . . .DHT 900 Z73 FD4 SCO/60H

Manufacturer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ansaldo/Siemens

HP@RPM . . . . . . .3,016 HP/ 2,250 KW @ 134 RPM

Ship's Service Power .2x Caterpillar 3512/ Two 3508

KW . . . . . . . . . . .Two @ 1,360 KW/ Two @ 910 KW

Propellers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Rolls Royce

Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .NAB

Steering System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Rolls Royce

Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Knots

Hull Construction . .Steel Hull/ Aluminum Deckhouse

Crew Capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39

Electronics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Seacoast Electronics

Tankage (Gallons) . . . . . .Fuel - 350 MT Ballast - 375 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MTFresh Water - 36 MT

Classification / Certification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ABS

Delivery Date . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .January 2008

Trawling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Rapp Hydema

Stern Gantry and Side Frame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Huber

Centerboard Handling System . . . . .National Oilwell

Bowthruster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Elliot White Gill

SHI Delivers World's

Largerst Containership

What is reported to be the world's largest containership, Xin Los Angeles, has been delivered by Samsung Heavy

Industries Co Ltd. (SHI) to Lloyd's

Register class. The ship is owned by

China Shipping Container Lines (CSCL) and is operated by China

International Shipmanagement

Company Ltd., a joint venture between

CSCL and V.Ships. The ship is 9,600 teu and is the first in a series of eight being built by SHI. The ship will trade from

China to Europe initially and will even- tually also trade to the U.S. Xin Los

Angeles can carry a maximum of 18 rows of containers by eight tiers on the weather deck and 16 rows by 10 tiers in the holds. The ship measures 336.7 x 45.6 m with a 15-m draft, and is pow- ered by an MAN B&W 12K98MC-C

Mk6, which produces 68,520 kW.

During sea trials the ship achieved a bal- last service speed of 25.4 knots. The ship is also enrolled in LR's Ship

Emergency Response Service (SERS).

Shipbuilding Technology

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