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Arab Shipbuilding And Repair Yard Officially Inaugurated At Bahrain Shown with dignitaries of the Arab world attending the inaugural cer- emony are His Highness Ruler of Bahrain, Shaikh Isa bin Sulman Al-Khalifa (in light robes), and His Highness Shaikh Rashid, Ruler of Dubai (in dark robes). Dubai is also building a large drydock. The Arab Shipbuilding and Re- pair Yard Co. (ASRY) was in- augurated at a ceremony presided over by His Highness the Ruler of Bahrain. The Ruler, Shaikh Isa bin Sulman Al-Khalifa, blessed the yard by pouring holy water from the Well at Zam Zam into the drydock and declared it offici- ally open. His Highness the Ruler of Dubai, Shaikh Rashid, attended the ceremony. Dubai also has a large drydock project which is expected, according to reports, to come into operation sometime dur- ing 1979. Many dignitaries of the Arab world were present, notable among whom was His Excellency Shaikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani, the Saudi Arabian Minister of Petro- leum, as well as all Ministers par- ticipating in the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Coun- tries (OAPEC) Conference which took place in Bahrain the previous day. Although the Inaugural Cere- mony took place December 15, ASRY commenced docking of VLCCs in October 1977. The Mo- bil Pride (212,000 dwt), the ves- sel in the dock on the day of the ceremony, was ASRY's fourth VLCC. She had been preceded by the Ambrosiana (231,048 dwt), the Esso Dalriada (259,042 dwt), and the Stavros GL (357,054 dwt). The Mobil Pride was immediately followed into the dock on Decem- ber 16 by the Texaco Japan (263,- 599 dwt), which in turn has been followed by the Safina Salamah (99,000 dwt), Berge Prince (284,- 002 dwt), and the Saudi Glory (276,386 dwt). Principal Characteristics of Drydock The new dock has a length of approximately 1,230 feet, breadth of 246 feet, sill level 30 feet below datum, and floor level 33 feet be- low datum. The dewatering time is approximately three hours with- out vessel, three pumps. Cranes are 100 tons and 15 tons. Shaikh Isa is shown pouring holy water into the new dock, declaring it officially open. The dock gate was built in Lis- bon by Lisnave, who also have a 10-year contract to provide man- agement expertise for ASRY. The gate is made of shipbuilding steel and measures approximately 253 feet (77 meters) by 21 feet (6V2 meters) by 46 feet (14 meters). It is hinged at the bottom and is opened and closed by pumping ballast water out of it or into it. Similar designed gates have been successfully installed at both Lisnave and Setenave yards in Portugal. The reinforced concrete floor slab is founded directly on the natural sands, although those have for the most part been ex- cavated to a depth of about 7 feet and have been reinstated by com- pacting in layers to achieve ap- propriate density. The dock pumphouse is also of reinforced concrete construction and measures approximately 164 feet by 79 feet. The main de- watering pumps, three in num- ber, are vertically mounted single- stage with concrete volute and syphon discharge. In addition to those pumps, the pumphouse ac- commodates pumps for the under- floor drainage, firefighting, gen- eral service water and ballast water. The layout of the pump- house has been so arranged as to facilitate connection to a second drydock should this at some fu- ture date be built alongside the first. ASRY is very grateful to the shipowner acceptance which has accrued so early to a new repair yard. It seems that owners not only are satisfied with the quality of ASRY's repairs, but find its location adjacent to the loading terminals in the Arabian Gulf of great advantage. ASRY has set a target of more than 40 VLCCs for 1978. C.F. Bean Names John Lescroart VP For Washington Office The appointment of John E. Lescroart as vice president, C.F. Bean Corp.'s Washington, D.C., office has been announced by Charles F. Bean, board chairman of the New Orleans, La.-based international dredging and ma- rine contractor. Mr. Lescroart's activities will be concentrated in the areas of domestic and international busi- ness development, government re- lations, and other special projects. He will report directly to J.W. Bean, the company's president. Mr. Lescroart has more than 25 years' experience in the dredging industry. From September 1975 to February 1977, he was director of deepwater ports for the U.S. Department of Transportation, where he developed policy and implemented procedures pertain- ing to the Deepwater Port Act of 1974. His experience also includes serving as president and director of Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific Co. from 1971 through 1975. Midland Enterprises Elects Ralph Plagge Ralph E. Plagge J.D. Geary, president of Mid- land Enterprises Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Eastern Gas and Fuel Associates, has an- nounced the election of Ralph E. Plagge to assistant vice presi- dent, transportation, for The Ohio River and Orgulf Transportation Companies. Mr. Plagge was for- merly transportation manager, and has been with Midland Enter- prises Inc. for over 27 years. Mr. Plagge's responsibilities include the dispatching of 23 towboats and over 1,400 barges owned by the Cincinnati, Ohio-based cor- poration. 22 Maritime Reporter/Engineering News
