Largest suction sail installation completed
Bound4blue has completed the installation of the world’s largest suction sails, with four 26m-high eSAILs being fitted to Atlantic Orchard. Chartered by Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) and owned by Wisby Tankers of Sweden, the specialised juice carrier had the sails fitted in a single stop already scheduled for its 10-year special survey at Astander Shipyard in Spain.
The four eSAILs were installed in under a day per unit. This installation marks the third so far this year for bound4blue and is the latest in a series of installations that has seen the DNV type-approved suction sails fitted to vessels ranging from MR tankers to general cargo and RoRo vessels.
Drydocks World and Cochin Shipyard to explore ship repair opportunities
Dubai’s Drydocks World has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Cochin Shipyard Limited, with the aim of developing ship repair clusters within India. The aim is to bring global best practices to the ship repair sector in the country and add significant new capacities for this type of work, to meet local demand.
Two locations, Kochi and Vaidinar, have been identified for special focus, as having the potential to become new ship repair centres to be developed under the terms of the new MOU.
Steelpaint secures multiple vessel contract
German coatings firm Steelpaint has secured an order to supply its Stelpant system to 20 dry bulk vessels operated by one of the world’s largest shipping companies. An additional 19 bulkers are scheduled for application next year.
The Singapore-based shipping group, which manages a fleet of large bulkers totalling 16 million dwt, has opted to apply the coating to 39 ships as part of a fleet maintenance initiative focused on steel preservation, reduced downtime and operational efficiency. Vessels ranging from 70,000-200,000dwt will undergo coatings work at Chinese shipyards Youlian (Zhoushan), Youlian (Shekou) and Qingdao Beihai. Application will focus primarily on tank tops and lower hopper regions, where frequent impact from grabs and bulldozers can cause wear and damage to conventional coatings. It is anticipated Stelpant will also be applied to hatch coamings and inner bottom plating.
