MERCURY GLORY

The Mercury Glory (IMO: 9203289, Port of Registry: Panama) is a modern double-hull Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC), having a total capacity of 298,990 dwt. Measuring 332 m in length, 58 m in width and with a maximum draught of 22 meters, the Mercury Glory was built in 2001 by the well known Daewoo shipyard in Korea, which specialises in the construction of large tankers. The Mercury Glory is propelled by a 7RTA84T-B Wartsila engine and managed by Northern Marine Management, Hamburg, Germany.

The Mercury Glory is expected to arrive later tonight at the MOT terminal, Rotterdam.

BELGIAN REEFER

The Belgian Reefer (IMO: 8300365, Port of Registry: Nassau, Bahama's) is a temperature controlled vessel (reefer) managed by Chartworld Shipping Corporation, Greece and operated by NYKCool AB, Sweden in her Jumbo Class. The vessel is almost 145 metres long, 24 metres wide, has a gross tonnage of 12,383 and a cargo capacity of 7,830 square metres. She is equipped with four 10 ton cranes and propelled by a 6-cylinder Sulzer engine which gives the vessel an operating speed of 18 knots. The Belgian Reefer is scheduled to arrive later this afternoon at the Fruit Terminal, Rotterdam

FAIRMOUNT SUMMIT

Today's SotD is the anchor-handling tug Fairmount Summit (IMO: 9315563, Port of Registry: Panama). This 75 metres long, 18 metres wide tug has an engine capacity of 16,320 BHP which is delivered by a Wartsila W6L32. This capacity gives the vessel a 205 ton bollard pull. She was built in 2005 at Niigata, Japan and is owned by the dutch company Fairmount Marine. The Summit's sister vessel is the Fairmount Alpine.

The Fairmount Summit will arrive later tonight in Rotterdam from Flushing and will berth at the Parkkade.

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 up to 10,000 teu. The Gjertrud Maersk was delivered in December 2005 by Odense Steel Shipyard, Denmark and was then, together with her sisters, Gudrun Maersk, Gerd Maersk, Grete Maersk, Gunvor Maersk and Georg Maersk, the largest container vessel sailing. Nowadays the Emma Maersk, and her sisters, amongst which are the Estelle Maersk and Eleonora Maersk have taken over the leadership.

The Gjertrud Maersk is currently sailing on the Maersk AE-2 loop between China and Europe. She has entered the port of Rotterdam this morning from Bremerhaven. The next destination of the Gjertrud Maersk will be Felixstowe. From there she will set sail for the Suez Canal and South-Eastern Asia. The Gjertrud Maersk is scheduled to return to Rotterdam within two months.

MOL CREATION

Today's Ship of the Day is the 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 is equipped with 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 in 2007 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 arrived this morning at the ECT Terminal, Rotterdam from Hamburg, Germany. She will depart tomorrow evening with destination Zeebrugge.

AL SHEGAYA

The Al Shegaya is an Ultra Large Crude Carrier (ULCC) built in 1998 by Hyundai Heavy Industries, Korea. The vessel is 335 meters long, 58 meters wide and has a maximum draught of almost 23 meters. With a deadweight of 310,000 tons, the Al Shegaya is one of the largest crude carriers currently sailing. The ship is owned by the Kuwait Oil Tanker Company which is also the owner of the vessels: Al Tahreer, Al Awdah, Kazimah III, Al Salhia, Al Samidoon, Al Funtas and Al Shuhada.

The Al Shegaya arrived in Rotterdam this morning from Sidi Kerir Terminal (Egypt) for discharging at the MOT terminal.

OCEANIC II

The Oceanic II (IMO: 6512354, Port of Registry: Nassau, Bahama's) is a cruise ship converted into an oceangoing university campus. The ship is equipped with the following facilities:

• Academic staff library
• Academic support center
• Convenience store
• Dining rooms & cafés
• Fitness centers (2)
• Laundry Service
• Learning resource center
• Lecture rooms
• Medical clinic
• Recreation and activity rooms
• Religious observance spaces
• Sports deck
• Staff lounge
• Student pavilion
• Swimming pools (2 outdoor, 1 indoor)
• Theatre
• Wireless network throughout ship, including in cabins

The vessel is 200 metres long, 26.5 metres wide, has 389 cabins and a gross tonnage of 28,891. She was previously named Kungsholm (1966-1979), Sea Princess (1979-1995), Victoria (1995-2002) and Mona Lisa (2002-2007). The ship is currently operated by The Scholar Ship which delivers a globally recognized academic program on semester-long voyages around the world. Participants from diverse cultural backgrounds come together to co-create life-changing experiences that develop their intercultural competence and foster friendships reaching the far corners of the world.

A letter of intent has been signed between the current owners of Oceanic II and Swedish entrepreuner Lars Hallgren for the acquisition of the ship in 2010. It is planned that certain features of the Kungsholm's original appearance, such as her two funnels, will be restored as part of her conversion to a floating hotel. Her likely mooring site will be in Gothenburg.

The Oceanic II arrived at Schiedam last night from Amsterdam and is currently berthed at Damen Shipyards where she will undergo maintenance works for a few weeks. She will be renamed back to "Mona Lisa" before leaving Rotterdam.

Note: The Mona Lisa grounded in the Irbe Strait off Ventspils on May 4, 2008. Passengers and crew were evacuated due impending bad weather.

CHRISTIAN RADICH

The Christian Radich (IMO: 5071729, Port of Registry: Oslo, Norway) is a sailing vessel of the type Windjammer. She was built in 1937 by Framnæs Mekaniske Verksted, Norway. This tall ship is 73 metres long overall, 9.7 metres wide and 37.7 metres high, provides accomodation for 88 passengers and has a sail area of 1360 sq.m., which consists of a total of 27 sails. This gives the vessel a maximum speed of 14 kts. From 1999 and on, the ship has been on the charter market as well as sailing with paying trainees to foreign ports on summer trips, participating in the Cutty Sark Tall Ships' Race and large sail events in various European ports. She is well known through the international release in 1958 of the Cinemiracle widescreen movie Windjammer.

The Christian Radich is scheduled to enter the port of Rotterdam this morning. She will berth at the Parkkade, Rotterdam.

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 has entered the Port of Rotterdam this morning with a last port of call at Tubarao, Brasil. She is berthed at the EMO terminal where she will stay for about 4 days discharging iron ore.

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

EENDRACHT

Photo by: Max

Today's SotD is a well-known vessel in the port of Rotterdam. The three masted schooner Eendracht (IMO: 8814275, Port of Registry: Rotterdam) is used to get anyone, especially young people, acquainted with the adventure of sailing at sea. The vessel was built in 1989 by Damen Shipyards, Gorinchem, is 59 metres long, 12 metres wide, has a maximum sail area of 1,206 m2 and a mast height of 41.7 metres. The vessel has a crew of 13 and a passenger capacity of 40 for trips of more than one day. She has 15 two-person cabins, 6 four-person cabins and one single person cabin. The Eendracht is currently making short trips on the North Sea and is sailing in and out of port almost daily. Her next big journey will start at the end of June with destinations in Le Havre, Liverpool, Maloy, Bergen and Den Helder. More info can be found at the website of the Eendracht.

HERMOD

The Hermod (IMO: 7710214, Port of Registry: Panama) is a 154 metres long, 86 metres wide, 42 metres high crane vessel capable of a tandem lift of 8,100 tons up to 39 metres in tandem. The main hoist lifting height is 92 m above work deck. She has a gross tonnage of 73877, provides accomodation for 336 persons, has a helicopter deck which is suitable for a Sikorsky 61-N and is propelled by two electrically driven, controllable pitch propellers of 4,400 kW each aft and two electrically driven, retractable, controllable pitch thruster of 1,470 kW each forward. Power supply by seven diesel driven main generators of 2,765 kW each. The vessel has static and dynamic ballast systems both fully computer controlled. Ballast pump capacity 8,000 cubic meter/hour. Dynamic ballast water handling 500 t/sec.

The Hermod will arrive this morning at the Offshoreput Maasvlakte, Rotterdam accompanied by the tugs Retriever and President Hubert.

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. A total capacity of 13,500 teu is also possible when containers are not fully loaded. This capacity is possible by stacking the containers in 22 rows wide. Maersk calculates the teu capacity with loaded containers. 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.

BERGE STAHL

Source: http://www.beeldbankvenw.nl/, Rijkswaterstaat. The Berge Stahl has been repainted recently. She now has a blue funnel and a white bridge.

Today's SOTD is the Berge Stahl (IMO:8420804, Port of registry: Stavanger, Norway) which is the largest bulk carrier currently sailing with her deadweight of 364,767 tons. The vessel is owned by Bergesen Worldwide Shipping, was built in 1992 by Hyundai Heavy Ind. Co. Ltd. Ulsan, Korea, is 343 meters long, 65 meters wide, has a draught of 23 meters and has 7 holds and hatches. She transports iron ore from the 'Companhia Vale do Rio Doce' mines in the eastern part of the Amazone, Brasil to Rotterdam about 9 or 10 times a year. From Rotterdam the iron ore is transported in barges to the steel mills of ThyssenKrupp and Hüttenwerke Krupp Mannesmann in Germany. The Berge Stahl is scheduled to arrive this evening at the EECV terminal, Rotterdam from Ponta da Madeira, Brasil. Rotterdam and Ponta da Madeira are the only two ports in the world which are deep enough to receive the vessel.

MAERSK STEPNICA

The Maersk Stepnica (IMO: 9352004, Port of Registry: Rotterdam) is the latest newbuilding for the Dutch based Maersk Ship management. Maersk Stepnica is the first in a series of five 8400 TEU container vessels delivered and built by Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. in South Korea. The South-Korean shipbuilder also delivered another new building, Maersk Inverness (3364 TEU), in January this year. Maersk Stepnica, as Maersk Inverness, will be sailing under the Dutch flag and be mainly manned by Dutch officers. (source: Maersk Ship Management). The vessel has a teu capacity of 8,400, is 334 metres long and 43 metres wide. These dimensions give the vessel a deadweight tonnage of 101,500.

The Maersk Stepnica is scheduled to arrive this afternoon at the APM terminal where her name-giving ceremony will be held. The Maersk Stepnica will be deployed on Maersk's AE-1 loop. She is scheduled to return to Rotterdam in about 7 weeks.

XIN LOS ANGELES

Two years ago the Xin Los Angeles was the largest containervessel around. But since the launching of the Emma Maersk (which also arrived at the port of Rotterdam today), the vessel is 'just' one of the bigger ones. The Xin Los Angeles is 337 metres long, almost 46 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 this morning and is currently berthed at the ECT terminal.

MAERSK ANTARES

The Maersk Antares (IMO: 9342504, Port of Registry: Singapore) is one of the most recent vessels in Maersk's fleet. She was delivered at December 5, 2007 from Samsung Heavy Industries, Korea. The 108,393 GRT, 9,200 TEU Container vessel is the second in the series of A-Type container vessels delivered to her owner A.P. Moller Singapore. The vessel is propelled by a Wärtsila NSD 12RT-FLEX96C engine with a capacity of 68,640 KW taking the vessel on speeds upto 25.5 Knots. The Maersk Antares is 337 metres long, 45.6 metres wide and has a deadweight tonnage of 110,000. Her sister vessels are: Maersk Algol, Maersk Alfirk and Maersk Altair. The Maersk Antares arrived this morning at the APM terminal, Rotterdam from the port of Bremerhaven. She will stay in port for about 36 hours. The vessel will then set sail for Felixstowe on the APM AE2 line. She will return within about 7 weeks to Rotterdam.

Source: Shipspotting.com Photo by: Derek Sands

WATERMAN N

The Waterman N (IMO: 8404147, port of registry: Panama) a bulk carrier with a deadweight tonnage of almost 260,000 tons and a maximum draught of almost 20 meters. The vessel is 328 meters long, 54 meters wide and was built in 1985 as the Hyundai Giant at Hyundai Heavy Industries, Korea. She is operated by Neu Seeschiffahrt Gmbh, Germany. The ship has 9 holds and the same number of hatches for the bulk transport of iron ore and coal and is propelled by a Man B&W 5L70MCE Diesel Engine.

The Waterman N arrived this morning at the EMO Terminal Rotterdam carrying a load of iron ore from Saldanha Bay, South Africa.