Maritime Reporter, September 1997

<BODY> <div> SHIP REPAIR & CONVERSION between Spain and the European Commission (EC) on reducing shipyard capacity. Privatization of AESA's eight yards is not officially due for con- sideration until the group's three- year restructuring program is com- pleted at the end of next year (1998). The conversion industry in Singapore continues to enjoy a busy period. Keppel Shipyard is currently involved in a number of conversion/refit projects. During July, the yard completed the $12 million conversion of 59,642-dwt conventional tanker Red Teal to a FPSO, which will be renamed Armada Pekasa for its new role off the Malaysian Coast for Petrona. The yard is also cur- rently carrying out a 11-month refit operation aboard FPSO Erawan for Unical (Thailand), and recently won a 15-month rebuild- ing contract for a hull built by Kherson Shipyard, which will be lengthened by 75.5 ft. (23 m) and refitted as a drillship, to be named Peregine 4 for new owner Falcon Drilling. Keppel FELS is currently carry- ing out a number of offshore refit projects, the 9,957-grt semi-sub- mersible drilling platform Penrod 71 is being converted to a produc- tion rig for Brazil's Petrobras, to be renamed PB27; the Maersk Drilling-owned jack-up drilling rig Maersk Victory is having its three legs rebuilt following an accident off the Australian coast; jack-up rig Ensco 57 is being repaired and upgraded; and semi-submersible accommodation rig Safe Gothia has been purchased by Keppel FELS for conversion into a drilling rig. Stena Drilling is the likely buyer. Pan United is currently involved in three large projects, including the lengthening of two purse sein- ers by 39 ft. (12 m) each. The yard is also involved in the major refit of the 975-dwt, Vanuatu-registered offshore sup- ply vessel June T, ex Sovereign Service, which has been purchased by a U.S.-based owner for use on the inter-island service around Singapore. Pan United is also reportedly talking to Swedish and German owners who have uncompleted newbuildings in Indonesian yards. If the yard wins the contracts, the hulls — which are now fairly old — will be brought to Singapore and completed. It is believed that the ships involved are a gas carrier and a chemical tanker. The largest repair/refit contract currently underway at Sembawang Shipyard is the refit of Vietnamese FPSO Chi Linh, which arrived in the yard two months ago. The vessel was converted to a FPSO approximately 10 years ago, and is now undergoing a major refurbishment prior to returning to its station off the Vietnamese coast. Sembawang is also building the necessary process module for the Statoil FPSO, which is currently under construction at South Korea's Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI). The modules are to be installed by Jurong Shipyard Ltd. (JSL), which is currently tackling one of the busiest periods ever seen in the conversion and large refit indus- tries. Current projects involve the con- version of the 26,762-dwt Bahamas RoRo/containership Proso to a spe- cialized livestock carrier to be renamed Bader 111. Owners of the vessel are Jordanian, and the ship will be used for sheep and cattle trans- portation. Also, the BHP-owned FSU Skua Venture 1 is currently in the yard. The unit will be pur- chased by Japan's Modec, after refit work, which will include the installation of additional process modules. The vessel will be renamed Modec Venture 1. JSL also has the conventional tanker Brasilia in the yard for a conversion project, for alteration to an FSU for a charter to Petrobras. The work is scheduled for comple- tion by the end of the year. Finally, JSL has signed a contract for installing additional topsides pro- cessing modules onboard a special- ized FPSO currently being built at South Korea's Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) for Statoil. BEST VALUE FOR MONEY" ASTANO ASTANDER CADIZ P.O. BOX 994 P.O. BOX 10 P.O. BOX 39 15080 Ferrol 39080 El Astillero 11080 Cadiz La Coruna - Spain Cantabria - Spain Spain Tel. (3481) 34 3211 Tel. (3442) 54 0050 Tel. (3456) 27 3350 Fax (3481) 34 3252 Fax (3442) 54 0026 Fax (3456) 27 8362 Circle 211 on Reader Service Card ASTILLEROS ESPANOLES September, 1997 125 </div> <span id="lblContents"></span> <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.digitalwavepublishing.com/" title="Digital Magazine">Digital Wave Publishing</a> </BODY>