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Finnish Maritime Report Yards. A multi-purpose capability is conferred by the Arctic Shuttle, since the 86-m by 23-m pusher tug unit would be able to function inde- pendently as an icebreaker when not required to serve as the 22-MW propulsion and command vessel for the 869 x 124.6 ft. (265 x 38 m) tank barge. The carrying unit, with an envisaged capacity of about 97,000-cu m, would incorpo- rate a submerged turret loading (STL) facility, specially reinforced for operations in heavy ice. Instigated by a feasibility study for an offshore field development in northern Russia, the technical project had as one of its parame- ters the requirement for the tug- barge combination to ensure a speed of around three-knots in ice of one-m thickness. Studies are being progressed to optimize the combined design for open-sea navi- gation. The attributes of the Kvaerner Masa-Yards' proposed Double-Acting Tanker in this respect, are one of its major strong- points, since it offers a level of open-water hydrodynamic efficien- cy not normally attainable by ves- sels designed to trade in extremely difficult ice conditions. Kvaerner Masa-Yards has a letter of intent for the construction of a 90,000- dwt newbuild employing the DA concept. The tanker would be able to combine year-round trading to the Barents Sea region, inside the Arctic Circle, with a shuttle tanker role. Using Azipod propulsion, the design is strengthened for stern- going operation in thick ice, allow- ing the use of a bulbous bow for most efficient, forward-going navi- gation in open-water conditions. Finnish prowess in four-stroke diesel technology has found new expression in the potent Wartsila 64 engine, the champion in the medium-speed power stakes. While the exhaustive technical program continues, a commercial response to the product develop- ment initiative is already shaping up, as reflected in a clutch of com- mitments from European shipown- ers to the new design. Offering a nominal output of around two-MW in its in-line ver- sions, the environmentally-favor- able Wartsila 64 provides a plat- form for engine efficiency levels of 55 percent and beyond. Its attrib- utes have been favored for a 16- knot containership newbuild at the Sietas yard in Germany. Although little has been disclosed regarding the ship design, the vessel is known to have been fixed for regu- lar trade between Finland, U.K. and the Netherlands. The seven- cylinder installation will be derat- ed to 12,600-kW, and the agree- ment includes an option on a sec- ond engine for a follow-on vessel. Enterprising Dutch company Spliethoffs, which runs a large fleet of mainly multi-purpose cargo and container vessels from its Amsterdam headquarters, has also specified the 64 engine in its six- cylinder model for a series of 19.5- knot newbuilds in Japan. Each of six 18,900-dwt container-moduled, general purpose cargo ships, three from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and three from Tsuneishi Shipbuilding, will accordingly have a plant of 12,060-kW output. The manufacturing arrange- ments for the Wartsila 64, which was conceived in Finland and pro- totype-tested at the company's Vaasa research center, bear out the great store which Wartsila NSD holds by its focused-factory princ pie. The 640 mm-bore machine wi be assembled not in Finland, but a the Grandi Motori Trieste (GMT plant in north-eastern Italy, whicl offers the requisite scale for han dling and concentrating the pro- duction of the heavyweight in the medium-speed range. GMT is owned on a 60:40 basis by Fincantieri and Wartsila NSD, although the Finnish influence on operations is stronger than the share participation suggests, to the extent that the Trieste factory today incorporates much of the Finnish philosophy as regards pro- duction operations. Weaker than anticipated results for Wartsila NSD, the largest divi- sion within the Helsinki Stock Exchange-quoted Metra industrial group, gives added relevance to the company's focused production poli- cy. Difficult international market conditions have necessitated new measures to restore profitability, notably including changes to estab- lishment levels in certain foreign plants. The focused-factory idea is regarded as crucial to ensuring long-term competitiveness. POSTAL BULLETIN 21875, 9-1-94, PAGE 17 PAGE 18, 9-1-94,21875 POSTAL BULLETIN UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE N. 1. ftjMeafonTM. Maritime Reporter/Engineering News Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation (RequirtO by 39 U.S.C. 3685) 4. Issue Frequency Monthly 12 3-FBNGDAM 9/29/98 7 Com**, Uading *W,.s, of ta, OKca