VZMORYE

Today's SotD is the tug Vzmorye (IMO: 9380192, Port of Registry: Kaliningrad, Russia) which was built this year at Keppel Singmarine Shipyard, Singapore. The Vzmorye is an offshore support vessel with firefighting capabilities, currently owned by Lukoil-Kaliningradmorneft which is a subsidiary to LUKOIL Oil Company, a leading Russian oil company with main activities in oil and gas exploration and production, and production and sale of petroleum products. She is propelled by two 2640 kW MAK engines and equipped with all the latest positioning systems. The vessel has a length of 65 meters, a width of 15 meters and a maximum speed of 13 knots.

The Vzmorye has arrived this morning at Rotterdam towing the barge AMT Trader.

ARK VAN NOACH (NOAH'S ARK)

Today Noah's Ark is arriving at Rotterdam. Not the original one, of course, but the replica of the Ark built by the Dutch building contractor named Johan Huibers. He started to build the Ark in 2005 and finished it this year. Huibers is not expecting a new flood, but is using the vessel to spread the story of the Bible, especially to children.

The Ark is 70 meters long, 9.5 meters wide and nearly 13 meters high. It is built on a pontoon and can be moved with a tug boat. In the Ark is an expositionarea where the story of Noah is told. On board are also several live animals, such as lams, goats and chicken. Currently the Ark is travelling all around Holland visiting several places. She has arrived this morning at the Spoorweghaven, Rotterdam where she will stay, also during the World Port days at 7,8 and 9 September, until the end of October.

More information can be found at:

http://www.arkvannoach.com/

XIN LOS ANGELES

About one year ago the Xin Los Angeles was the largest containervessel around. But since the launching of the Emma 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 a MAN B&W 12K98MC-C Mk6 engine, 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 has entered the port of Rotterdam last night and is currently berthed at the ECT terminal, Rotterdam.

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 has arrived this morning at the MOT terminal, Rotterdam from Juaymah Terminal, Saudi Arabia.

EVER RESULT

The Ever Result (IMO: 9061112, Port of registry: Panama) is an in 1995 by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries built container vessel with a teu capacity of 4,229 and a gross tonnage of 53,103. The vessel is about 294 meters long and is over 32 meters wide. She is owned by Kashima Naviera S.A. and operated by Evergreen Maritime Corp on her North Asia-U.S.East Coast-Europe pendulum(NUE) on which she visits, amongst others, New York, Charleston, the Panama canal, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Shanghai, Pusan and several ports in Europe. On this tour she visits Rotterdam every three months.

The Ever Result has arrived last night at the ECT Terminal, Rotterdam from Thamesport. She will depart this evening with destination Le Havre.

MINERVA SYMPHONY

The Minerva Symphony (IMO: 9304605, Port of Registry: Piraeus, Greece) is a Suez-max crude oil tanker with a length of 277 meters, a width of 50 metres and a draught of 16 metres. She has a deadweight of 159,450 tonnes, a total capacity of 179,000 tonnes and a gross tonnage of 83,722. She was built in 2006 by Universal Shipbuilding, Japan and is operated by Minerva Marine Inc., Greece. The vessel is propelled by a Mitsui MAN B&W 6S70MC-C engine which gives the vessel a service speed of 15.25 knots.

The Minerva Symphony is scheduled to arrive this evening at the Shell Europoort terminal from Ceyhan, Turkey.

COSCO NAPOLI

The Cosco Napoli (IMO: 9305489, Port of Registry: Monrovia, Liberia) is an in 2006 built container ship with a length of 335 metres, a width of almost 43 metres and a maximum teu capacity of 8,200. She has a deadweight tonnage of 101,500 and a maximum draught of 14.5 metres. The vessel was built by Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries and is currently owned by E.R. Schiffahrt, Hamburg, Germany. The Cosco Napoli's sisters are: Cosco China and Cosco Germany.

The Cosco Napoli is currently deployed on Cosco's AE-1 loop between South-Eastern Asia and Europe. She is scheduled to arrive this afternoon at the ECT terminal, Rotterdam and will depart tomorrow with destination Felixstowe.

SEARCHER

The Searcher (IMO: 9234800, Port of Registry: London) is a patrol vessel owned by UK customs. She is mostly deployed on the south-coast of England between Southampton and Portsmouth. The vessel is 43 meters long, 7 meters wide, has a 14-day endurance at sea, a range of 1,750 nautical miles, can operate in adverse weather conditions and has a top speed of 26 knots. She was built in 2001 by Damen Shipyards, Netherlands. The Seeker is one of four UK customs patrol vessels built by Damen Shipyards over the last years. The other vessels are the 'Seeker', 'Vigilant' and 'Valiant'. Special features of the ship are the 2,000 liters/min external fire fighting system and the seven metre Delta RIB, which can be launched from the stern slipway.

The Searcher is expected this afternoon at Dordrecht.

EBBA MAERSK

The Ebba Maersk (IMO: 9321524, Port of Registry: Copenhagen, Denmark) is already the fifth in line of Maersk's PS-class. Together with her sisters (amongst which are the 'Emma Maersk' and 'Evelyn Maersk') she is the largest containership ever 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 deadweight of 156,907 tons. Amazingly, all this size and capacity requires a crew of only 13. 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 vessels in this series have also established new standards for safety and environmental responsibility. Environmentally-safe silicone paint, for example, is used on the hull, below the water line, reducing water resistance, and thereby fuel consumption, by 1,200 tons per year. The ship was launched at Odense Steel Shipyard Ltd in May 2007.

The Ebba Maersk arrived this morning at the APM terminal, Rotterdam from Algeciras. Tomorrow, the vessel will set sail for Bremerhaven on the APM AE1 line. She will return within about 7 weeks to Rotterdam.

HOEGH BERLIN

The Hoegh Berlin (IMO: 9295842, Port of Registry: Oslo, Norway) is a 200 meters long, 32 meters wide car/truck carrier with a fully-loaded capacity of 6,100 cars, secured on 12 decks with a total deck area equal to that of nine football fields. Cars are loaded through the side- and stern-mounted ramps that allows for a variety of wheeled cargo to be driven aboard. The vessel was built in 2005 by Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering in South Korea under contract to Höegh Autoliners as the fifth vessel in the series of nine newbuildings.

The Hoegh Berlin is expected to arrive this evening at the Rotterdam Car Terminal from Barcelona.

COSCO YANTIAN

Today 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 (amongst which are the Emma Maersk, Estelle Maersk and Eleonora Maersk) 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 Yantian is currently sailing on the AE1-loop which connects Asia and Europe. She has arrived last night at the ECT Terminal, Rotterdam, with the last port of call at Singapore. The vessel will leave tomorrow for Felixstowe, Hamburg and Antwerp before returning to the Far East.

MOL CREATION

Today's Ship of the Day is the brand-new 8,100 TEU containership MOL Creation (IMO: 9321237, Port of Registry: Nassau, Bahama's). As part of MOL's continuing focus on vessel safety and environmental impact, the new ship has been outfitted with the latest technologies impacting those areas of performance. The MOL Creation is the first containership fabricated with high tensile E Grade steel (YP460MPa → 47 kgf/mm2) to ensure hull integrity. The ship will also employ a Mitsubishi-Wartsila RT-flex96C engine which is designed to electronically maintain optimal fuel injection performance at all engine speeds. This 11 cylinder main engine is designed to reduce fuel consumption and to control NOx and soot (PM) exhaust effectively while operating at a high service speed of 25.25 knots/hour. (Source: MOL). The vessel has a deadweight of 89,370 tons, an overall length of 316 meters, is almost 46 meters wide and has a draught of approximately 14.5 meters. She was built this year by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Co., Ltd., Nagasaki Shipyard, Japan. The MOL Creation has joined CMA-CGM's FAL1 service connecting main ports in northern China to major ports in Europe.

Source: www.imageline.co.uk

The MOL Creation is scheduled to arrive this evening at the ECT Terminal, Rotterdam from Hamburg, Germany. She will depart tomorrow evening with destination Zeebrugge.

XIN SHANGHAI

The Xin Shanghai (IMO: 9307231, Port of Registry: Hong Kong) is one of the largest containervessels currently sailing with her length of 336.7 metres, width of 45.6 metres and 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 engine, 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 Los Angeles are her sistervessels.

The Xin Shanghai is scheduled to enter the port of Rotterdam from Le Havre this afternoon. She will berth at the ECT terminal, Rotterdam and depart with destination Hamburg tomorrow. She will return to Rotterdam within two months.

NYK VESTA & NYK VIRGO

Today we have two sister vessels featuring as Ship(s) of the Day, namely the NYK Vesta (IMO: 9312808) and Nyk Virgo (IMO: 9312810), both registered under Panamanian flag. Both vessels are 338 meters long, almost 46 metres wide, have a gross tonnage of 97,825 tons and have a TEU capacity of 8,600. They are propelled by a B&W 12K98ME engine which delivers approximately 87,060 horsepower. Both vessels were built in 2007 by Hyundai Heavy industries and are equipped with the most advanced environmental safety measures, including an electronically controlled engine and a specialized hull structure to prevent fuel-oil leakage. The NYK Virgo was built as the last of four identical vessels.

The NYK Virgo is expected to arrive this evening at the ECT Terminal coming from Hamburg. The NYK Vesta is expected tomorrow morning at the ECT Terminal with the last port of call at Jeddah, Saudi-Arabia.

AXEL MAERSK

Today's SOTD is the Axel Maersk (IMO:9260419, Port of Registry: Bagenkop, Denmark). This 'Series S' container vessel was built in 2003 by Lindo Shipyards, Denmark 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 AE-2 (Far East to Europe) route. She is powered by a HDS Sulzer 12RTA96C 76,200 BHP engine.

The Axel Maersk has arrived this morning at the APM Terminal, Rotterdam with a last port of call at Bremerhaven. She will depart tomorrow with destination Felixstowe.

ALEXANDRA

Today we have a 'golden oldie' as the SOTD. It is the, in 1963 built, tug Alexandra (IMO: 5418630, flag: United Kingdom). The Alexandra is with its gross tonnage of 164 only small amongst all the large ships on this page, but since it's 43 years old, it is worth mentioning that she will arrive this morning in Dordrecht. The tug is still in service, owned by Niarcos Shipping, Rochester, UK and managed by G.P.S. Marine Contractors. She is 28 meters long, 7.6 meters wide and has a maximum BHP of 1066. The following towing gear is available:

• Auto winch hydraulic single drum towing winch
• 500M x 32MM wire with spelter sockets
• 2 x 220M x 64MM Nutech polyprop ropes
• 2 x 20M 20 ton tested wire bridles
• 2 x 10M 20 ton tested wire bridles

The Alexandra sails in the extended European area IE North Cape, Full Baltic/Gulf of Bothnia in season, full Meditarranean and the Black Sea. She has entered the Port of Rotterdam this morning with destination Damen Shipyard, Eemhaven, Rotterdam

FAITH N

The Faith N (Port of registry: Panama, IMO: 8618425), is one of the larger bulk carriers currently sailing. She is owned by the General Ore Carrier Corporation and operated by Neu Seeschiffahrt, Hamburg. The vessel was built in 1990 by Fincantieri Cantieri Navali Italiani, has a deadweight tonnage of about 261.000, is 325 meters long, 54 meters wide and has a draught of 20.5 meters. The ship has 9 transitional bulkheads and 2 longitudional bulkheads. Her sister vessels are the Alfred N and Arthur N.

The Faith N arrived this morning at the EMO terminal, Rotterdam from Ponta da Madeira, Brasil.

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 in 2006 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-4 route (Asia-Europe-Asia) which will ensure the OOCL Asia to visit Rotterdam every 56 days.

The OOCL Asia has arrived this afternoon at the ECT Delta terminal in Rotterdam from Jedda. She is scheduled to leave Rotterdam tomorrow heading for Hamburg, Germany.

COSBRIGHT LAKE

The Cosbright Lake (IMO: 9263227, Port of Registry: Panama) is a Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) built in 2003 by Nantong COSCO KHI Ship Engineering, China and is operated by Cosco Dalian Ocean Shipping. This 333 meters long, 60 meters wide vessel has a maximum draught of almost 21 meter and a deadweight tonnage of almost 300,000. She is propelled by a Kawasaki-M.A.N B&W 22,650 kW diesel engine and operated by a crew of 31 persons.

The Cosbright Lake is scheduled has arrived this afternoon at the Calandkanaal, Rotterdam.

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. Her sisters are: Gudrun Maersk, Gerd Maersk, Grete Maersk, Gunvor Maersk and Gjertrud Maersk. Until August 2006 these vessels were the largest container vessels sailing in dimensions. From August 2006 Maersk has delivered her new PS-class vessels, amongst which are the Emma Maersk, Estelle Maersk and Eleonora Maersk, which have taken over the leadership.

The Georg Maersk is currently sailing on the AE2 (Far East to Europe) loop and will enter the port of Rotterdam this afternoon from Bremerhaven. The next destination of the vessel will be Felixstowe. She will return to Rotterdam within two months.

STELLANOVA

The Stellanova (IMO: 9085730, Port of Registry: Rotterdam) is a heavy load ship operated by Jumbo Shipping. She is, together with her sisters Jumbo Spirit and Fairload, the smallest vessel in Jumbo's fleet. The ship is almost 96 metres long, about 18 metres wide and has a gross tonnage of 4,962. She has one hold with a bale capacity of 7176 cubic metres, one crane with a capacity of 250 tons and 1 derrick with a 250 tons capacity (in combi 500 tons). The Stellanova was built in 1996 by the IJssel Vliet Combination, the Netherlands.

The Stellanova will arrive this afternoon at the Waalhaven, Rotterdam with the last port of call at Rosyth, England.