Page 26: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (April 2012)

Kobe Shipyard & Machinery Works has primarily handled the construction ofcontainer carriers, pure car carriers, sub-marines and deep submergence research vehicles. Following delivery of the Emerald Ace, commercial vessel con- struction will be concentrated at the Na-gasaki Shipyard & Machinery Works and Shimonoseki Shipyard & Machin- ery Works. The Kobe Shipyard will boost its competitiveness through estab- lishment of an enhanced operationalstructure, focusing on construction ofsubmarines and deep submergence re- search vehicles. 297,000-dwt Iron Ore Carrier CompletedMitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) lastmonth announced the completion of the297,000-ton iron ore carrier Ore SaoLuis at the Universal Shipbuilding Cor- poration, Ariake Shipyard. Ore Sao Luis will transport iron ore from Brazil tomainly China, under a long-term con-tract with Vale. Among those on hand for the naming and delivery ceremonies were Vale International General Man- ager, Shipping, Pietro Allevato, who named the vessel, and Universal Ship- building Director and Senior Managing Officer Kuniteru Ishikawa. The ships name is derived from the capital and largest city in Maranhão state in Brasil. MOL operates 300,000-dwt class of six(6) VLOCs in total, including Ore Sao Luis. Ore Sao Luis Main Particulars DWT (Capacity) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .297,076 tons Length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .327m Breadth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55m Draft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21.4m Registry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Liberia Tug Fleet Overhaul CommencesThe Great Lakes Towing Company commenced an overhaul program for its Great Lakes fleet of 37 harbor assist tugboats. The Illinois is the first to un- dergo the overhaul at the new Cleveland shipyard. The new 770-ton Travelift; the largest on the Great Lakes, sec- ond largest in the Western Hemi- sphere, and the third largest in the world; permits the yard to dry dock?on land several vessels at a time. Also, this April, the shipyard will deliver an- other of a series of newly constructed HandySize 3200 hp multi-purpose icestrengthened tugs for an undisclosedowner. Great Lakes Shipyard is now completing the last phase of a majorshipyard modernization and expansion program with its designation as theRolls-Royce Great Lakes Regional Service Center. The new shipyard is a full-service yard specializing in new construction, repairs, modifications, and steel and aluminum fabrication of all types of vessels and barges. Most recent projects include winter work on McK- eil Marines tug/barge John Spence and Niagara Spirit, the shipyards first con- tract with a Canadian tug/barge com- pany; and the conversion of Interlake Steamship Co.s ITB Dorothy Ann and Pathfinders Z-drive thrusters from fixed-pitch to controllable pitch. 26Maritime Reporter & Engineering News NEWS & ANALYSIS