Novoship puts second Panamax bulker into operation
ROSTOV-ON-DON. Jan 22 (Interfax) - OJSC Novorossiysk Shipping Company (Novoship), part of the Sovcomflot group, has accepted into its fleet a second 1B ice-class Panamax bulk carrier, the NS Yakutia, a company statement says.
"The new vessel (DWT 74,000 tonnes) was built at the Hyundai Mipo Dockyard in South Korea under the supervision of two classification societies: the Russian Maritime register of Shipping and the American Bureau of Shipping," the company said.
"NS Yakutia is the second bulk carrier ordered by SCF Group in summer 2010. The first vessel in the series, NS Energy, joined the SCF fleet in November 2012. Novoship was overseeing the construction of the vessels and is now responsible for their technical operation," the company said.
The NS Yakutia is designed to carry bulk cargoes: coal, grain, iron ore, potash, cement, and neutral fertilizers. The company press service declined to reveal the cost of the vessel for Interfax, citing commercial confidentiality.
"By launching modern bulk carriers like NS Energy and NS Yakutia, Sovcomflot is strengthening its positions in this maritime transportation sector. The new vessels are primarily intended for operations in the Baltic (the port of Ust-Luga) and the Far East (the port of Vanino). The bulk carrier NS Yakutia has been chartered by SUEK [Siberian Coal Energy Company] for the transportation of coal in the Far East," the company said.
"The bulk carriers NS Energy and NS Yakutia have also been classified as ENVIRO vessels, indicating a higher level of environmental protection and safety. These vessels have reinforced double hull and double bottom and a modernised fuel-supply system which ensures the failsafe operation of auxiliary electricity generators running on low velocity marine diesel oil. These new bulk carriers are also equipped with an approved ballast water management system in full accordance with the new D2 standards from the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments, which will soon come into force. Each cargo hold has been additionally fitted with an internal temperature control system, a gas analysis system, a CO2 fire-extinguishing system, and a hull stress monitoring system," Novoship said.
Novoship, one of the largest shipping companies in the world, specializes in hydrocarbon transportation. Sovcomflot owns 98.09% of its ordinary shares (88.61%) of capital). Novoship's fleet is comprised of 54 ships with combined deadweight of around 4.6 million tonnes.