Converted Iron Sand Carrier Delivered
NKK recently finished converting a 140,000DWT ore/bulk carrier into a slurried iron sand carrier at its Tsurumi Works. The converted ship, formerly known as the "Stellar Cape," was renamed "Taharoa Express" upon its delivery to owner, Arafra Shipping Inc., a Panamanian subsidiary of Nippon Yusen K.K., on April 3. The converted carrier will transport about 700,000 tons of iron sand annually from Taharoa in northern New Zealand to five major Japanese steel-makers, including NKK. Because the coast along Taharoa is relatively shallow, with no proper port facility for berthing large vessels, it is difficult for such vessels to take on a full load of iron sand. Thus, iron sand is first mixed with water to make slurry at nearby plants on land and the slurried iron sand is transported by undersea pipelines to load the ship moored off the coast. The former bulk carrier underwent conversion to facilitate this loading operation. The major work NKK undertook included adding a slurry loading line to the upper deck of the carrier, installing drainage systems to release water contained in the slurry from the sides of the hold, and reinforcing the hold sides to secure sufficient strength for slurry transportation. The converted carrier successfully completed its first iron sand-loading operation in Taharoa in late April, for which the shipowner highly recognized NKK's technology. NKK's ship repair team at Tsurumi completed the conversion work, which required a high degree of technology, within a short contracted period of two and a half months. Drawing on its past achievements, NKK hopes to serve increasing needs for higher value-added ships from public and private sectors. |
