Page 65: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (March 2011)

March 2011 www.marinelink.com 65

The Dutch town of Dordrecht was granted city rights in 1220 as its impor- tance as a trading port continued to grow.

Goods from the Dutch empire were trans- ferred to river vessels here and the city grew wealthy. Later, much of the deep- sea trade moved to the nearby port of

Rotterdam which resulted in heavy bombing during World War II with the destruction of many historical buildings.

Spared such destruction, Dordrecht con- tinues to have many fine buildings dating from the prosperous centuries.

Today the city retains an important role as a base for river trading companies and as a home for many of the inland vessel’s crews. It is also the location of the De

Groot Scheepstechniek. This shipyard re- cently delivered one of their typically high quality tank vessels to the Dor- drecht-based Trendco Shipping Company who will operate the ship for her owners

Charlois Shipping CV.

The new tanker vessel, MTS Charlois, named for an area of Rotterdam Harbour, is 135 by 11.5-m with a load capacity of 4300 tons in 5000 cu. m. of hold space.

Capable of transporting a variety of pe- troleum based cargos, the tanker also has the capability to blend cargos onboard through a single pipe system. Heavy oils can be kept at 80 degrees Celsius to fa- cilitate pumping. The ship’s double- skinned hull earns it a Type C (Chemical) rating permitting it to transport danger- ous liquids throughout the European In- land Waterway system. The ship’s hull was built in Guangzhou China through a partnership involving Csaintly Marine

Corp. Ltd. and Oosse Maritiem. The hull was transported to the Netherlands by barge and then completed at the De Groot yard. The De Groot Shipyard is also a

Cummins Marine Dealer and a full suite of Cummins engines were installed in the vessel. Main propulsion is a pair of Cum- mins QSK38-M diesels generating 1400 hp ( 1044 kW) each at 1800 rpm. A Cum- mins QSK19-M does dual duty as a bow- thruster and cargo pump engine. The

MTS Charlois has three Cummins-pow- ered generator sets including a QSB6.7, a

QSB4.5 and a 4BT3.9 model. In each designation, the numbers refer to liters of displacement. From time to time, when in the area, vessels of the Trendco fleet moor along the river wall in front of the company offices at Merwekade 77 in

Dordrecht. In doing so the MTS Charlois will be continuing a centuries old tradi- tion by which ships have brought pros- perity to this river city.

Left

The QSK19 powered gen set to supply the cargo pump and bow thruster.

Right

MTS Charlois underway near the

Haringvliet Bridge. (Cour tesy of Cummins)

Dordrecht Fleet Continues to Grow (Photo by Arie Jonkman, Cour tesy of Cummins)