SPRUCE

The Spruce (IMO: 7734167, flag: Marshall Islands) was built in 1975 as the Flash IV (later Mammoth Spruce) by Sumitome heavy industries in Tokyo, Japan. She is a 112 meters long, 34 meters wide LASH ship. LASH, an acronym for Lighter Aboard SHip vessels each carry about 82 LASH barges. The barges, all of a standard size with cargo capacity of 385 tons, are towed in ports and on inland waterways to various shipping points where they are loaded with cargo and then returned to the oceangoing vessel. They are hoisted aboard by a special shipboard gantry-type crane and transported overseas where the process is reversed. LASH ships do not require special docks or terminals.

The Spruce is scheduled to arrive later this afternoon at the Waalhaven, Rotterdam.

COSCO BEIJING

The Cosco Beijing (IMO: 9308508, Port of Registry: Piraeus) is one of the largest container vessels nowadays, together with its sisters: Cosco Hellas, Cosco Ningbo, Cosco Yantian and Cosco Guangzhou. Only the in 2005 and 2006 built Maersk S-class vessels (amongst which are the Emma Maersk and Estelle Maersk) and three in 2006 for CSCL built containervessels are larger. The vessel is 350 metres long, almost 43 metres wide, has a deadweight tonnage of 107,000 and a teu capacity of 9,450. The Cosco Beijing is currently sailing on the AE1-loop which connects Asia and Europe.

The Cosco Yantian has arrived this morning at the ECT Terminal, Rotterdam, with the last port of call at Singapore. The vessel will leave tomorrow day for Felixstowe, Hamburg and Antwerp before returning to the Far East.

Since the vessel is so new, it was difficult to find a good photo. Above you can find the press release. For a bigger (foggy) picture look at Shipspotting.com

EXPRESS

The Express (IMO: 8116049, Port of Registry: Port Vila, Vanuatu) is an in 1984 built pipelayer, owned by Torch Inc., USA. The vessel is 159 metres long, 31 metres wide, has a maximum draught of 15 metres and provides accomodation to a crew of about 135. She is propelled by 3 x MAK 8 M25 rated at 2,250 kW and 2 x Wartsila 29R32 rated at 2,780 kW driving Siemens alternators (6.6 kV) which give the vessel a maximum speed of 12 kts. The vessel is equipped with a main crane with a load capacity of 400 mt, an auxiliary crane with a capacity of 150 mt and a friction clamp with a capacity of 250 mt. For pipelaying the vessel is equipped with 1 tensioner of 160 mt , 4 track tensioners, one 250 mt A&R, one 80 mt secondary A&R, one installation reels of 1750 mt capacity and one of 1200 mt capacity and a Kongsberg Simrad SDP2 Dual Redundant DP positioning system. The Express has entered the port of Rotterdam this morning and has berthed at Damen Shipyards, Schiedam for maintenance.

Photo by: Jan van Oost, Numansdorp ©ScheepvaartNed.Web-Log.nl

CHICAGO EXPRESS

Today there are, yet again, three in 2006 built post-panamax containervessels entering the Port of Rotterdam. These are the YM Unison (LOA: 336 m., width: 43 m., teu capacity: 8200), CSCL Le Havre (LOA: 337 m., width: 46 m., teu capacity: 9600) and the Chicago Express which will headline today's SotD. The Chicago Express is 336 metres long, 43 metres wide, has a maximum draught of 14.5 metres, a deadweight tonnage of 104,000 and a teu capacity of 8750). She was built by Hyundai Heavy Industries, Korea and is currently owned by Hapag Lloyd, Germany for whom she is currently deployed on the EU3 service between China and Europe. Her sister vessels are the Kyoto Express and Colombo Express.

The Chicago Express is scheduled to enter the Port of Rotterdam later this afternoon with the last port of call at Hamburg. She will depart tomorrow with destination Port Kelang, Malaysia and will return to Rotterdam within two months.

IRAN HENGAM

The Iran Hengam (IMO: 9212905, Port of Registry: Bander Busheyr, Iran) is a VLCC of 333 metres long and 58 metres wide. She has a maximum draught of 22 metres, a deadweight tonnage of almost 300,000 and was built in 2003 by Hyundai Heavy Industries, Korea. She is currently owned by the National Iranian Tanker Company, Tehran, Iran.

The Iran Hengam is expected to arrive later this afternoon at the MOT terminal, Rotterdam from Khark Island, Iran.

ARTHUR MAERSK

Today's SOTD is the Arthur Maersk, although there are two other brand new containerships entering Rotterdam today also, namely the MSC Madeleine (length: 349 m., width: 43 m., total teu: over 8000) and the Hyundai Hongkong (length: 304 m., width 40 m., total teu: 6800). However, there are no pictures of these ships available yet, so we had to choose the Arthur Maersk, which also is one of the biggest containerships around. This 'Series S' container vessel was built in 2003 by Hyundai Heavy Industries, Korea and can carry a total number of containers of 9000. The ship is 352 meters long, 43 meters wide, has a deadweight tonnage of 109.000 and is currently sailing on the China - Europe route. The Arthur Maersk is scheduled to arrive this evening at the APM Terminal, Rotterdam with a last port of call at Dunkerque, France. The MSC Madeleine will also arrive later this evening and the Hyundai Hongkong will arrive at about 14.00, both at the ECT Terminal, Rotterdam.

EDWARD N

The Edward N (IMO: 7404140, Port of Registry: Panama, Ex.name: Berge Athene) is a 313 metres long, 50 metres wide bulk carrier with a maximum draught of 20 metres and a deadweight tonnage of 225,000. She is characterised by her 2 Burmeister & Wain 6K 90GF engines which deliver 27284 kW at 110 RPM. The vessel was built in 1979 as the 'Konkar Theodoros' by Uljanik Shipyard, Croatia and is currently owned by General Ore Carrier Corporation VI Ltd., Panama and managed by Neu Seeschiffahrt GmbH, Hamburg, Germany.

The Edward N is expected to arrive this evening at the EECV terminal from Tubarao, Brasil.

CALAMITY JANE

The Calamity Jane is a support vessel for Allseas' mechanical subsea pipeline vessel Digging Donald, which is fully remote controlled from the Calamity Jane and has a maximum depth of 350 meters. In addition to trenching, other support services on dynamic positioning can be performed by the Calamity Jane, such as pipeline crossing preparation, mattress installation in deep water, surveys and pigging and testing of pipelines, all diverless.
The vessel is 151 meters long, 20 meters wide and can accomodate 72 persons. It is equipped with one fixed lifting frame for lifting up to a maximum of 200 tons and a general purpose crane for lifting up to 55 tons. The Calamity Jane is owned by the Swiss-based Allseas Group S.A. which is one of the major offshore pipelay and subsea construction companies in the world, operating specialised vessels - which were designed in-house.

The Calamity Jane will enter the Port of Rotterdam this evening with destination the Keppel Verolme shipyard.

ALBERT MAERSK

The Albert Maersk (IMO:9260469, Port of Registry: Copenhagen) is a Post-Panamax, Series S, container vessel owned by A.P. Møller-Maersk. The vessel was built in 2004 by Odense Steel Shipyard, Denmark as the 25th in line of 29 almost identical ships. She is 352 metres long, 43 metres wide, has a maximum draught of 15 metres and a maximum official teu capacity of 6,600 but believed to carry a maximum of up to 10,000 teu. For whatever reason, Maersk is always vague about their teu capacities.

The Albert Maersk is scheduled to arrive tonight at the APM terminal, Rotterdam from Felixstowe. Her next port of call will be Bremerhaven. The Albert Maersk is scheduled to return to Rotterdam at December 20.

ARDENNE VENTURE

The Ardenne Venture (IMO: 9290347, Port of Registry: Hong Kong) is a Very Large Crude Carrier, built in 2004 by Hyundai Heavy Industries, Korea and owned in a joint venture by Euronav, Belgium and Wah Kwong Shipmanagement, Hong Kong. The vessel has a deadweight tonnage of 318,000, is 333 metres long, 60 metres wide and has a maximum draught of 22.5 metres. It has one continuous freeboard deck from stem to stern with sunken deck-type stem deck, transverse bulkheads and four longitudinal bulkheads in way of the cargo space. Special attention has been paid to the ship's maneuverability, resulting in a large rudder being fitted. The Ardenne Venture is designed to carry three grades of cargo simultaneously, handled by three steam turbine cargo pumps, each delivering 5,000 m3/hr and housed in a pump room at the forward of engine room.


The Ardenne Venture has entered the Port of Rotterdam this morning and is currently discharging at the MOT Terminal. The vessel's last port of call was Sidi Kerir Terminal, Egypt.

STENA ANTARCTICA

No 'real' photo of our Ship of the Day today, but since the Stena Antarctica (IMO: 9322827, Port of Registry: George Town, Cayman Islands) is quite unique because there are only a few ice class tankers with the dimensions this vessel has, we will settle with a drawing. The Stena Antarctica is 250 metres long, almost 44 metres wide and has a draught of almost 15 metres. These dimensions give the Aframax-dimensioned tanker a deadweight tonnage of 115,000. She was built this year by Samsung Heavy Industries, Korea, is currently owned by Moon Shipping Servicos e Navegacao Lda and is on a 10 year long timecharter for Progetra, Russia.

The Stena Antarctica has arrived last night at the TEAM Terminal, Rotterdam from Angra dos Reis, Brasil.

NORMAND CUTTER

The Normand Cutter (IMO: 9231535, flag:
Isle of Man) is a pipelaying construction crane vessel owned by Solstad Offshore ASA. She was built in 2001 by Maritim Ltd, Gdansk, Poland and converted from a cable laying and repair vessel to its current form in 2001 by Ulstein Verft AS, Norway.
The vessel is equipped with a number of features for a wide range of offshore operations like:

• Laying of flexible pipes
• Lay rate of up to 1000 m/hr.
• Heavy lift crane 300 t for sub-sea installation and construction work
• Large deck for offshore construction operations
• Three permanent locations and two temporary locations for work ROVs and control vans
• Operation in both shallow and deep water
• Range 6000 n.m. at service speed
• Continuous operation at sea for 40 days

It is 127 metres long, 27 metres wide, has a helicopter deck dimensioned for the Super Puma AS 332 L2 and provides accomodation for a total of 114 persons. The vessel is equipped with all the latest manoeuvering and communication devices for an accurate positioning.

The Normand Cutter has been under maintenance at the Wilhelminahaven, Rotterdam and made a seashift this morning to the Maasvlakte.

OOCL ASIA

The OOCL Asia (IMO: 9300790, Port of Registry: Hong Kong) is a SX class container vessel capable of transporting 8063 TEU. The vessel was built this year by Samsung Shipbuilding & Heavy Industries Co. Ltd, Korea and is 323 meters long and 43 meters wide. The ship is currently sailing on the OOCL EU-3 route (Asia-Europe-Asia) which will ensure the OOCL Asia to visit Rotterdam every 56 days.

The OOCL Asia has arrived last night at the ECT Delta terminal in Rotterdam from Hamburg. She is scheduled to leave Rotterdam tomorrow heading for Port Kelang, Malaysia.

BERGELAND

Today's SOTD is the Bergeland (IMO:9002776, Port of registry: Stavanger, Norway) that replaces the Berge Stahl while it's out of service for maintenance. The Bergeland is a bit smaller than the Berge Stahl, but still the second largest bulk carrier owned by Bergesen Worldwide Shipping with its deadweight of 322,941 tons. This in 1992 built, 338 meters long, 55 meters wide, ore carrier has a draught of 23 meters, has 7 holds and hatches and was built by Hyundai Heavy Ind. Co. Ltd. Ulsan, Korea.
The Bergeland transports iron ore from the 'Companhia Vale do Rio Doce' mines in the eastern part of the Amazone, Brasil. From Rotterdam the iron ore is transported in barges to the steel mills of ThyssenKrupp and Hüttenwerke Krupp Mannesmann in Germany.

The Bergeland will arrive tonight at the EECV terminal, Rotterdam from Ponta da Madeira, Brasil.

ALSTER N

The Alster N (IMO: 8418162, Port of Registry: Panama, Ex.name: Alster Ore) is a bulk carrier owned by General Ore Carrier Corporation III limited, Panama and managed by Neu Seeschiffahrt GmbH, Germany. The vessel was built in 1988 by China Shipbuilding Corporation, Taiwan. Her sister vessel is the Ruhr N. Other bulk carriers managed by Neu Seeschiffahrt are: Faith N and Alfred N. The Alster N is 340 metres long, 57 metres wide and has a maximum draught of 22 metres. All these dimensions ensure a deadweight tonnage of 305,893.
The Alster N will enter the Port of Rotterdam later today with a last port of call at Saldanha Bay, South Africa. She will be berthed at the EECV terminal and will stay there for about 5 days discharging iron ore.

GEORG MAERSK

The Georg Maersk (IMO: 9320257, Port of Registry: Hellerup, Denmark) is a 367 meters long, 43 meters wide container vessel, capable of transporting up to 10,000 teu. The Georg Maersk was delivered in April 2006 by Odense Steel Shipyard, Denmark and was the last in a serie of six post-panamax container ships. Its sisters are: Gudrun Maersk, Gerd Maersk, Grete Maersk, Gunvor Maersk and Gjertrud Maersk. These vessels were then the largest container vessels sailing in dimensions. Since a few months the Emma Maersk has taken over the leadership. The Estelle Maersk has recently also entered the Maersk fleet to ensure Maersk its leadership in the container shipping industry.

The Georg Maersk is currently sailing on the AE1 (Far East to Europe) loop and will enter Rotterdam later this day from Felixstowe. The next destination of the the vessel will be Bremerhaven, Germany.

HAMBURG EXPRESS

Photo by: Hapag Lloyd

The Hamburg Express (IMO: 9229829, Port of Registry: Hamburg, Germany) is a 7,500 teu container vessel, built in 2001 by Hyundai Heavy Industries , Ulson, Korea. She is owned by Hapag-Lloyd and currently deployed on their Europe - Asia Loop 4 on which the vessel visits, amongst others, Rotterdam, Hamburg, Southampton, Singapore, Shanghai and Pusan. The Hamburg Express is 320 metres long, almost 43 metres wide, has a maximum draught of 14.5 metres, a maximum speed of 25 kts and a deadweight tonnage of 100,000. The Hamburg Express will arrive this evening at the ECT Terminal, Rotterdam and will depart Sunday morning with the next port of call at Hamburg, Germany.

RHINE FOREST & SPRUCE

Today we have two LASH-vessels entering Rotterdam. Since they are both equally interesting, we will cover them both. LASH, an acronym for Lighter Aboard SHip vessels each carry about 82 LASH barges. The barges, all of a standard size with cargo capacity of 385 tons, are towed in ports and on inland waterways to various shipping points where they are loaded with cargo and then returned to the oceangoing vessel. They are hoisted aboard by a special shipboard gantry-type crane and transported overseas where the process is reversed. LASH ships do not require special docks or terminals.

Rhine Forest

The Liberian flagged Rhine Forest (IMO: 7125706) is 237 meters long, 33 meters wide and has a draught of 12 meters. The vessel is equipped with a 500-ton gantry crane to lift and stow 83 barges. Each barge is 18.26 meters long and 9.16 meters wide and has a capacity of 385 metric tons. She was built in 1972 by Cockerill Mechanical Industries, Belgium and is currently owned by LCI Shipholding Inc., New Orleans and managed by Central Gulf Lines Inc., New Orleans.

The Rhine Forest has entered Rotterdam this morning and is currenlty moored at the Waalhaven for a few days. The vessel will then leave for New Orleans and will return to Rotterdam in 6 weeks

For more great pictures of the Rhine Forest see the (Dutch) site of Peter Bolhuis: http://members.lycos.nl/scheepvaart/fourdescphotos3.html

Spruce

The Spruce (IMO: 7734167, flag: Marshall Islands) is a 112 meters long, 34 meters wide LASH ship.
She was built in 1975 as the Flash IV (later Mammoth Spruce) by Sumitome heavy industries in Tokyo, Japan and is currently owned by Central Gulf Lines Inc., New Orleans

The Spruce arrived this morning at the Waalhaven, Rotterdam for charging/discharging and will stay there for a few days before returning to New Orleans.

HR. MS. DE RUYTER (F804)

The Hr. Ms. Tromp is an air defense and command frigate of the Dutch Royal navy. It is one of the four Dutch frigates of the 'Zeven Provinciën'-class and is therefor a sistership of the 'Hr. Ms. De Zeven Provinciën' and the 'Hr. Ms. Tromp'.

Source: Dutch Royal Navy

The Hr. Ms. De Ruyter has a crew of 174 persons and is already the 13th ship to bear the name 'De Ruyter'. Of course the ship was named after the well-known hero at sea Michiel Adriaenszoon de Ruyter, who was born on March 24th, 1607 in Flushing and died on April 29th,1676 on board of his flagship 'Eendracht'.

The frigate was built by 'De Schelde' in Flushing between 2000 en 2002. It is 144 meters long, 17 meters wide, can reach a speed of 30 knots, is incorporated with stealth techniques and is armed with a Oto Breda-cannon 127 mm, Vertical Launch System (VLS) Mk 41 for Enhanced Sea Sparrow Missiles en Standard Missiles, Harpoon Missile, Goalkeeper (fast fire cannon), Mk. 46 Torpedo-weapons and a Lynx orNH-90 helikopter.

The ship will enter Rotterdam this afternoon and will take berth at the Holland Amerikakade.

FRONT CHIEF

The Front Chief (IMO: 9169691, Port of Registry: Nassau, Bahamas) is a Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC), delivered in 1999 by Hyundai Heavy Industries, Korea. The vessel is 334 metres long, 58 metres wide and has a maximum draught of 22.7 metres. These dimensions give the vessel a deadweight tonnage of 311,224. The ship's technical operator is International Tanker Management (Germany), its commercial operator is V.Ships UK Ltd and she is chartered by Frontline Management. The vessel is equipped with 3 cargo pumps with a capacity of 5000 Cu. Metres/Hour for discharging the cargo swiftly.

The Front Chief is expected to arrive this evening at the MOT terminal, Rotterdam from Juaymah Terminal, Saudi Arabia.

XIN LOS ANGELES

Just a few months ago the Xin Los Angeles was the largest containervessel around. But since the launching of the Emma Maersk and the upcoming launch of the Estelle Maersk, the vessel is 'just' one of the bigger ones. The Xin Los Angeles is 336.7 metres long, 45.6 metres wide and has a maximum draught of 15 metres. She 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 which gives the vessel a total capacity of 9,600 teu. The ship is propelled by an MAN B&W 12K98MC-C Mk6, with a power of 68,520 kW. During sea trials the ship achieved a ballast service speed of 25.4 knots. The CSCL Pusan and Xin Shanghai are her sistervessels.

The Xin Los Angeles is expected to arrive later this morning at the ECT terminal, Rotterdam. The next port of call will be Hamburg. She will return within two months to Rotterdam.

TOISA POLARIS

The Toisa Polaris (IMO: 9187526, Port of Registry: London) is a multi-purpose offshore support vessel, built in 1999 by Van der Giessen, Netherlands. She is managed by Sealion Shipping Ltd., United Kingdom and chartered by Subsea7.
Offering a primary dive support capability, the vessel has the ability to perform a variety of offshore and subsea operations. To perform these operations in an accurate way, the Toisa Polaris is equipped with different state-of-the-art positioning systems. Furthermore the vessel is equipped with a 150 tonne SWL deck crane, a 18 man twin-bell saturation diving system rated to 300 metres, a ROV spread comprising one workclass ROV and one observation class ROV with a full suite of support facilities and a helideck which has a D value of 19.5 and is approved for Super Puma helicopters.
She has a length overall of 114 metres, is 22 metres wide, has 4 engine of 2680 kW each and provides accomodation to a maximum of 104 persons.

The Toisa Polaris is scheduled to enter the Port of Rotterdam later this day. She will take berth at the EECV quay in the Calandkanaal.

MORNING CALM

The Morning Calm (IMO: 9285615, Port of Registry: Nassau, Bahamas) is a vehicle transporter with a length over all of almost 200 metres, a width of 33 metres and a maximum draught of 10 metres. She was built in 2004 by Stocznia Gdynia S.A., Poland and is managed by Stamco Ship Management Company Ltd., Greece. The vessel is a floating car parking of 12 decks and has a capacity of about 6,400 cars.

The Morning Calm will arrive later today at the Rotterdam Car Terminal.

COSCO YANTIAN

Today's SotD should have been the Emma Maersk, but since she was discussed just one week ago, the Cosco Yantian will have the honour to appear as Ship of the Day. The Cosco Yantian(IMO: 9305594, Port of Registry: Piraeus, Greece) is one of the largest container vessels nowadays, together with its sisters: Cosco Hellas, Cosco Ningbo, Cosco Beijing and Cosco Guangzhou. Only the in 2005 and 2006 built Maersk S-class vessels and three in 2006 for CSCL built containervessels are larger. This post-panamax container vessel is 350 metres long, almost 43 metres wide, has a deadweight tonnage of 107,000 and a teu capacity of 9,450. The Cosco Beijing is currently sailing on the AE1-loop which connects Asia and Europe. She will arrive later today at the ECT Terminal, Rotterdam, with the last port of call at Hamburg. The vessel will leave the following day for Antwerp before returning to the Far East.

CMA CGM NORMA

The CMA CGM Norma (IMO: 9299812, Port of Registry: Marseille) is an in 2006, by Hyundai Heavy Industries built, Post-Panamax container vessel, capable of transporting 9415 teu. She is 350 metres long, almost 43 metres wide, has a maximum draught of about 14.5 metres and a deadweight tonnage of 107,200. The CMA CGM Norma is the first of eight super mega container vessels deployed in the new European (FAL2) service jointly operated by CMA CGM and China Shipping.

The CMA CGM Norma has entered the Port of Rotterdam this morning and is currently berthed at the ECT terminal with the last port of call at Le Havre. She is scheduled to depart tomorrow morning with destination Hamburg.

TOG MOR

The Tog Mor (IMO: 8759152, Port of Registry: Panama) is a multi-purpose pipelay vessel, owned by the Swiss-based Allseas Group S.A. The barge is intended for world-wide use, primarily in shallow water areas in support of Lorelay and Solitaire as well as independently contracted. Tog Mor is able to install pipelines with a diameter up to 60" O.D. She is moored on anchors, can work in a minimum water depth of approximately 4m (13') and is equipped with a 300 tonne crane. She was built in 1976 by Nederlandsche Dok & Scheepsbouw Mij., Amsterdam, The Netherlands, is 125 metres long and provides accomodation to 112 persons.

The Tog Mor has entered the Port of Rotterdam this morning and is currently under maintenance at Keppel Verolme shipyards.

EXPRESS

The Express (IMO: 8116049, Port of Registry: Port Vila, Vanuatu) is an in 1984 built pipelayer, owned by Torch Inc., USA. The vessel is 159 metres long, 31 metres wide, has a maximum draught of 15 metres and provides accomodation to a crew of about 135. She is propelled by 3 x MAK 8 M25 rated at 2,250 kW and 2 x Wartsila 29R32 rated at 2,780 kW driving Siemens alternators (6.6 kV) which give the vessel a maximum speed of 12 kts. The vessel is equipped with a main crane with a load capacity of 400 mt, an auxiliary crane with a capacity of 150 mt and a friction clamp with a capacity of 250 mt. For pipelaying the vessel is equipped with 1 tensioner of 160 mt , 4 track tensioners, one 250 mt A&R, one 80 mt secondary A&R, one installation reels of 1750 mt capacity and one of 1200 mt capacity and a Kongsberg Simrad SDP2 Dual Redundant DP positioning system. The Express has entered the port of Rotterdam this morning and will berth at Damen Shipyards, Schiedam for maintenance.

Photo by: Jan van Oost, Numansdorp ©ScheepvaartNed.Web-Log.nl

GJERTRUD MAERSK

The Gjertrud Maersk (IMO: 9197894, Port of Registry: Ringkøbing, Denmark) is a 367 meters long, 43 meters wide container vessel, capable of transporting upto 10,000 teu. The Gjertrud Maersk was delivered in December 2005 by Odense Steel Shipyard, Denmark and was then, together with its sisters, Gudrun Maersk, Gerd Maersk, Grete Maersk, Gunvor Maersk and Georg Maersk, the largest container vessel sailing. Since a few months the Emma Maersk has taken over the leadership. In a few weeks the Estelle Maersk will also enter the Maersk fleet to ensure Maersk its leadership in the container shipping industry.

The Gjrertrud Maersk is currently sailing on the Japan/China - Europe line and will enter Rotterdam later this day from Bremerhaven. The next destination of the Gjertrud Maersk will be the Suez Canal Zone terminal, Egypt. From there she will set sail for Singapore. The Gjertrud Maersk will return to Rotterdam around New Year's day.

SAMCO ASIA

The Samco Asia (IMO: 9237632, Port of Registry: Majuro, Marshall Islands) is a Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) with a length of 333 metres, a width of 60 metres, a draught of 22.5 metres and a deadweight capacity of 318,000 tons. The vessel was built in 2003 by Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries, Korea and is currently owned by Samco Beta Ltd and managed by TESMA Singapore.

The Samco Asia will arrive today at the TEAM terminal, Rotterdam from Sidi Kerir Terminal, Egypt and will stay there discharging for about 2 1/2 days

EMMA MAERSK

The Emma Maersk is the largest containership of all times with a total teu capacity 11,000 teu (of which 1,000 forty foot reefer containers) according to the A.P. Moller - Maersk Group . Rumours are that a total capacity of 13,500 teu is also possible. This capacity is possible by stacking the containers in 22 rows wide. The vessel is 397 meters long, 56 meters wide, has a depth of 30 meters and a deadweigth of 156,907 tons. The specially designed Wärtsilä diesel engine delivers 80,000 kW. A waste heat recovery system is installed to optimise the use of the energy produced, so that the engine can deliver up to 90,000 kW. The ship was built this year by Odense Steel Shipyard Ltd. Within a few weeks, the Emma Maersk its sister, Estelle Maersk, will also be delivered. She will have the same dimensions as the Emma Maersk.

The Emma Maersk will arrive at the APM terminal, Rotterdam from Felixstowe later this day. The vessel will then set sail for Bremerhaven, Gothenburg and Aarhus on the APM AE1 line. She will return within about 10 days to Rotterdam.

USS HALYBURTON

The USS Halyburton is an Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate owned by the U.S. Navy. The Oliver Hazard Perry class of frigates were purchased by the U.S. Navy in the 1970s and 1980s as general-purpose escort vessels capable enough to do most jobs adequately, yet cheap enough to be bought in large quantities to replace aging World War II-era destroyers. The Halyburton was laid down on 26 September 1980 by the Todd Pacific Shipyards Co., Seattle Division, Seattle, Wash.; launched on 13 October 1981; and commissioned on 7 January 1984. She has earned 3 Battle 'E' awards for combat readiness.
The vessel is 138 metres long, 13.7 metres wide, is propelled by 2 General Electric LM2500-30 gas turbines generating 41,000 shp (31 MW), which gives the frigate a speed of 29+ knots. At 19 knots, the vessel has a range of 9,300 km. The Halyburton is crewed by 15 officers and 190 enlisted and armed with one OTO Melara Mk 75 76 mm/62 caliber naval gun, two Mk 32 triple-tube (324 mm) launchers for Mark 46 torpedoes, one Vulcan Phalanx CIWS and four .50-cal (12.7 mm) machine guns.

The USS Halyburton will arrive later this afternoon at the Holland Amerikakade, Rotterdam, together with the destroyer USS Roosevelt (see picture below).

BERGE NORD

Today the Berge Nord (IMO: 9127150) is being reviewed which has arrived this morning at the EECV bulk terminal in Rotterdam from Seven Islands, Canada carrying iron ore. From Rotterdam the iron ore is transported in barges to the steel mills of ThyssenKrupp and Hüttenwerke Krupp Mannesmann in Germany. This 305 meters long, 53 meters wide bulk carrier is the biggest ship to enter the Arctic sea.

The Berge Nord has a deadweight tonnage of 218,000, a draught of almost 19 meters and has seven holds and hatches. The ship was built in 1997 by Hyundai Heavy Industries in Korea and is owned by Bergesen Worldwide Shipping. Other vessels owned by Bergesen and visiting the EECV terminal regurlarly are: Berge Stahl, Bergeland, Berge Arctic and Berge Pacific.

DOKTER WAGEMAKER

Today's SotD is one of Holland's most well-known vessels, the 'Dokter Wagemaker'. The Dokter Wagemaker is owned by Texels Eigen Stoomboot Onderneming N.V. (Teso) which has been operating the ferry service between the island of Texel and Den Helder since 1907. The vessel was built between 2003 and 2005 by Damen Shipyards. The hull of the ferry was built in Galatz, Romania; the remainder of the vessel was built by Koninklijke Schelde shipyard, Flushing, Netherlands.

The vessel is 130 metres long, 22 metres wide, has a draught of 4 metres and a passenger capacity of 1,750. A maximum of 300 vehicles should be possible, without any trucks. A standard trip carries about 30 trucks and 200 cars.

The Dokter Wagemaker has entered the Port of Rotterdam this afternoon and is currently berthed at Damen Shipyards for maintenance. She is expected to leave the docks in about one week.

ALFRED N

The Alfred N (IMO: 8900438, Port of Registry: Panama) is a bulk carrier owned by General Ore Carrier Corporation IV Limited, Panama and managed by Neu Seeschiffahrt GmbH, Germany. The vessel was built in 1991 by Fincantieri Cantieri Navali, Italy. Her sister vessels are the Arthur N and Faith N. The Alfred N is 325 metres long, 54 metres wide and has a maximum draught of almost 21 metres. All these dimensions ensure a deadweight tonnage of 260,826. The Alfred N will enter the Port of Rotterdam this morning with a last of call at Tubarao, Brasil. She will be berthed at the EMO terminal and will stay there for about 5 days discharging iron ore.

Source: Bernd Dahlmann (www.ship-world.de)

GUDRUN MAERSK

Until the delivery of the Emma Maersk a few months ago, the Gudrun Maersk (IMO: 9302877, Port of Registry: Svenborg, Denmark) was, together with its sisters Gjertrud Maersk, Gerd Maersk, Grete Maersk, Gunvor Maersk and Georg Maersk, the longest containership sailing at that time. The Gudrun Maersk is 367 meters long, 43 meters wide and is capable of transporting 8,500 teu. With these capacities the Gudrun Maersk comes to a deadweight tonnage of 115,700.

The vessel entered the Maersk fleet in June 2005 and was built by Odense Steel Shipyard, Denmark. Currently this Post-Panamax ship is sailing on the Far East - Europe line on which it visits, amongst others, Singapore, Kobe, Hong Kong, Felixstowe, Bremerhaven and of course Rotterdam. The Gudrun Maersk will enter Rotterdam later this afternoon from Bremerhaven, Germany and will take berth at the APM terminal. The next port of call will be Algeciras, Spain and from there it will sail towards the Far East. The vessel will return in Rotterdam within two months.

MSC MARIA ELENA

The MSC Maria Elena was built this year at Samsung Shipbuilding & Heavy Industries and is with its teu capacity of 9,200 one of the biggest container vessels sailing and the biggest vessel of the Mediterranean Shipping Company. The ship is 336 meters long, 43 meters wide and has a deadweight tonnage of 110,000. The Maria Elena is currently sailing on the MSC's 'Silk Express', the Far East/China - Northwestern Europe route.

The MSC Maria Elena will enter Rotterdam later this afternoon and will visit the ECT Delta Terminal. The vessel's last port of call was Antwerp.

BERGELAND

Today's SOTD is the Bergeland (IMO:9002776, Port of registry: Stavanger, Norway) that replaces the Berge Stahl while it's out of service for maintenance. The Bergeland is a bit smaller than the Berge Stahl, but still the second largest bulk carrier owned by Bergesen Worldwide Shipping with its deadweight of 322,941 tons. This in 1992 built, 338 meters long, 55 meters wide, ore carrier has a draught of 23 meters, has 7 holds and hatches and was built by Hyundai Heavy Ind. Co. Ltd. Ulsan, Korea.
The Bergeland transports iron ore from the 'Companhia Vale do Rio Doce' mines in the eastern part of the Amazone, Brasil. From Rotterdam the iron ore is transported in barges to the steel mills of ThyssenKrupp and Hüttenwerke Krupp Mannesmann in Germany.

The Bergeland has arrived this morning at the EECV terminal, Rotterdam from Ponta da Madeira, Brasil.

POLAR QUEEN

The Polar Queen (IMO: 9230414, Port of Registry: Bergen, Norway)is one of the most advanced flexlay and subsea construction ships available. She is owned and operated by Rieber Shipping ASA, Norway. The vessel is equipped with a 300 mt offshore crane, a deck suitable for a EH101 helicopter, has 2 work class ROVs installed, 2 x 1600 mt carousels with heavy duty spooling system below work deck, has a layspeed of up to 1000 m/hr and can provide accomodation to a maximum of 117 persons. The latest news about the Polar Queen is that Stolt Offshore entered into an agreement with Rieber Shipping to charter the the ship for a firm period of 6 years, plus one 3 year option thereafter. The Polar Queen will be modified to make her suit Stolt's operational requirements. Capabilities will include flexlay installation and subsea structure installation in water depths of 2000 m and beyond. It is 146 metres long, 27 metres wide and has a clear working deck of 1660 m2.

The Polar Queen is scheduled to arrive this evening at Damen Shipyards, Schiedam, where it ill be refit as mentioned before.

TOISA POLARIS

The Toisa Polaris (IMO: 9187526, Port of Registry: London) is a multi-purpose offshore support vessel, built in 1999 by Van der Giessen, Netherlands. Offering a primary dive support capability, the vessel has the ability to perform a variety of offshore and subsea operations. To perform these operations in an accurate way, the Toisa Polaris is equipped with different state-of-the-art positioning systems. Furthermore the vessel is equipped with a 150 tonne SWL deck crane, a 18 man twin-bell saturation diving system rated to 300 metres, a ROV spread comprising one workclass ROV and one observation class ROV with a full suite of support facilities and a helideck which has a D value of 19.5 and is approved for Super Puma helicopters.
She has a length overall of 114 metres, is 22 metres wide, has 4 engine of 2680 kW each and provides accomodation to a maximum of 104 persons.

The Toisa Polaris is scheduled to enter the Port of Rotterdam later this day. She will take berth at the EECV quay in the Calandkanaal.

COSCO BEIJING

The Cosco Beijing (IMO: 9308508, Port of Registry: Piraeus) is one of the largest container vessels nowadays, together with its sisters: Cosco Hellas, Cosco Ningbo, Cosco Yantian and Cosco Guangzhou. Only the in 2005 built Maersk S-class vessels and three in 2006 for CSCL built containervessels are larger. The vessel is 350 metres long, almost 43 metres wide, has a deadweight tonnage of 107,000 and a teu capacity of 9,450. The Cosco Beijing is currently sailing on the AE1-loop which connects Asia and Europe. She will arrive later this afternoon at the ECT Terminal, Rotterdam, with the last port of call being Singapore. The vessel will leave the following day for Felixstowe, Hamburg and Antwerp before returning to the Far East.

Since the vessel is so new, it was difficult to find a good photo. Above you can find the press release. For a bigger (foggy) picture look at Shipspotting.com

JUPITER DIAMOND

Source: Scheepvaartwest

Today's SotD is the Ro/Ro Car carrier Jupiter Diamond (IMO: 7718462, Port of Registry: Singapore). The Jupiter Diamond is capable of transporting a maximum of 5,430 cars (high car capacity: 2,481), is 214 metres long, almost 30 metres wide and has a depth of about 28 metres, with a maximum draught of only 8 metres. She was built in 1978 by Mitsubishi, Japan and is currently owned by the Nippon Yushen Kaisha Line (NYK Line) transporting cars of Japanese origin all around the world. The Jupiter Diamond will arrive this afternoon at the Rotterdam Car Terminal from Antwerp, Belgium.

GUDRUN MAERSK

Until the delivery of the Emma Maersk a few months ago, the Gudrun Maersk (IMO: 9302877, Port of Registry: Svenborg, Denmark) was, together with its sisters Gjertrud Maersk, Gerd Maersk, Grete Maersk, Gunvor Maersk and Georg Maersk, the longest containership currently sailing. The Gudrun Maersk is 367 meters long, 43 meters wide and is capable of transporting 8.500 teu. With these capacities the Gudrun Maersk comes to a deadweight tonnage of 115.700.

The vessel entered the Maersk fleet in June 2005 and was built by Odense Steel Shipyard, Denmark. Currently this Post-Panamax ship is sailing on the Far East - Europe line on which it visits, amongst others, Singapore, Kobe, Hong Kong, Felixstowe, Bremerhaven and of course Rotterdam. The Gudrun Maersk will enter Rotterdam later this afternoon from Felixstowe and will take berth at the terminal. The next port of call will be Bremerhaven. She will return within about one week in Rotterdam.

RHINE FOREST

The Rhine Forest (IMO: 7125706) is a so-called 'LASH-ship' (for an explanation see the Spruce which was SOTD on August 16). The Liberian flagged ship is 237 meters long, 33 meters wide and a draught of 12 meters. The vessel is equipped with a 500-ton gantry crane to lift and stow 83 barges. Each barge is 18.26 meters long and 9.16 meters wide and has a capacity of 385 metric tons. She was built in 1972 by Cockerill Mechanical Industries, Belgium.

The Rhine Forest will enter Rotterdam this morning and will moor at the Waalhaven for a few days. The vessel will then leave for New Orleans and will return to Rotterdam next month. For more great pictures of the Rhine Forest see the (Dutch) site of Peter Bolhuis: http://members.lycos.nl/scheepvaart/fourdescphotos3.html

NORMAND CUTTER

The Normand Cutter (IMO: 9231535, flag:
Isle of Man) is a pipelaying construction crane vessel owned by Solstad Offshore ASA. She was built in 2001 by Maritim Ltd, Gdansk, Poland and converted from a cable laying and repair vessel to its current form in 2001 by Ulstein Verft AS, Norway.
The vessel is equipped with a number of features for a wide range of offshore operations like:

• Laying of flexible pipes
• Lay rate of up to 1000 m/hr.
• Heavy lift crane 300 t for sub-sea installation and construction work
• Large deck for offshore construction operations
• Three permanent locations and two temporary locations for work ROVs and control vans
• Operation in both shallow and deep water
• Range 6000 n.m. at service speed
• Continuous operation at sea for 40 days

It is 127 metres long, 27 metres wide, has a helicopter deck dimensioned for the Super Puma AS 332 L2 and provides accomodation for a total of 114 persons. The vessel is equipped with all the latest manoeuvering and communication devices for an accurate positioning.

The Normand Cutter entered Rotterdam this morning, coming in from Peterhead, United Kingdom, and is currently berthed at Damen Shipyards.

ALBERT MAERSK

The Albert Maersk (IMO:9260469, Port of Registry: Copenhagen) is a Post-Panamax, Series S, container vessel owned by A.P. Møller-Maersk. The vessel was built in 2004 by Odense Steel Shipyard, Denmark as the 25th in line of 29 almost identical ships. She is 352 metres long, 43 metres wide, has a maximum draught of 15 metres and a maximum official teu capacity of 6,600 but believed to carry a maximum of up to 10,000 teu. For whatever reason, Maersk is always vague about their teu capacities.

The Albert Maersk is scheduled to arrive this afternoon at the APM terminal, Rotterdam from Bremerhaven. She is scheduled to depart tomorrow morning with destination Algeciras. From Algeciras the Albert Maersk will set sail for the Far East. She will return to Rotterdam within two months.

APOLLONIA

The Apollonia (IMO: 9246645, Port of Registry: Piraeus) is an in 2003 by Samsung Heavy Industries built crude carrier. The vessel (ex.name: Front Hawk) has a deadweight tonnage of 308,200, is 333 metres long, 58 metres wide, has a maximum draught of 21 metres and is capable of transporting 2,202,129 barrels of crude oil. It is operated by Neda Maritime Agency and owned by Apollonia Transportation E.N.E. The Apollonia is scheduled to arrive later this evening at the TEAM terminal, Rotterdam, from Sidi Kerir Terminal, Egypt.

Photo by: Huib Trommel

OOSTERSCHELDE

The three-masted topsail schooner 'Oosterschelde' (IMO: 5347221, Port of Registry: Rotterdam) is the last remaining representative of the large fleet of schooners that sailed under the Dutch flag at the beginning of the 20th century. As the largest restored Dutch sailing ship the 'Oosterschelde' is a monument for Dutch shipbuilding and maritime navigation under sail. The vessel was built in the Netherlands in 1918 at the order of the Rotterdam shipping company H.A.A.S. As a freighter the ship could carry some hundred tons of cargo. The vessel was restored between 1990 and 1992 and since then it has made a voyage around the world and several other long voyages. Next to these voyages the vessel is also available for chartering.

Photo by: Pieter Nijdeken

The vessel is 50 metres long, 7.5 meters wide and has a mast heigth from the keel of 36 metres. The Oosterschelde has a sail area of 891 square metres and is also equipped with a 6 cylinder Deutz, 360 pk engine. The Oosterschelde has a maximum capacity of 120 passengers for daytrips (at sea: 36) and 24 on longer voyages. The accomodation exists of 8 two-person cabins and 2 four-person cabins. One board are 5 toilets and two showers. More information can be found at: www.oosterschelde.nl

EVER CHIVALRY

The Ever Chivalry (IMO: 9293791) is a 334 meters long, 42.5 meters wide container ship that has been built this year by Samsung Heavy Industries in Seoul, Korea. The Chivalry is capable of carrying more than 8000 teu and is one of the biggest container ships at this moment with a deadweigth tonnage of 98,700.

The vessel is owned by the German Conti Reederei and is sailing under the flag of the Marshall Islands. The vessel will arrive Saturday evening at the ECT terminal, Rotterdam with the last port of call in Hamburg. The next port to visit is Thamesport. The Ever Chivalry sails on the route between the Far East and Europe and will visit Rotterdam every two months.