XIN HONG KONG

The Xin Hong Kong (IMO: 9314222, Port of Registry: Hong Kong) is one of the largest containervessels currently sailing with her length of 336.7 metres, width of 45.6 metres and 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 an 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, Xin Shanghai and Xin Los Angeles are her sistervessels.

The Xin Hong Kong is scheduled to enter the port of Rotterdam from Hamburg later this evening. She will berth at the ECT terminal, Rotterdam and depart with destination Felixstowe tomorrow on China Shipping's AEX-8 loop. She will return to Rotterdam within two months.

COSCO GUANGZHOU

Today's Ship of the Day is the Cosco Guangzhou (IMO: 9305570, Port of Registry: Piraeus, Greece) which was one of the largest container vessels in gross tonnage about two years ago, together with her sisters: Cosco Hellas, Cosco Ningbo, Cosco Beijing and Cosco Yantian. Currently she is just one of the larger containervessels sailing. This post-panamax container vessel is 350 metres long, almost 43 metres wide, has a deadweight tonnage of 107,000 and a teu capacity of 9,500. She is currently sailing on the AE1-loop which connects Asia and Europe.

The Cosco Guangzhou is scheduled to arrive later this evening at the ECT Delta Terminal, Rotterdam, with the last port of call at Singapore. She will leave the Port of Rotterdam within 36 hours.

KAZIMAH III

The Kazimah III (IMO: 9329693, Port of Registry: Safat, Kuwait) is a Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) with a length of 333 metres, width of 60 metres, draught of 22 metres and a deadweight tonnage of 317,000. She was the first tanker of this type within the fleet renewal program of its owner Kuwait Oil Tanker Co. At present, KOTC operates about 25 vessels of which 8 VLCC's. The Kazimah III was built in 2006 by Hyundai Heavy Industries, Korea.

Since the Suez Canal can currently only accommodate ships with draughts of up to 17.5 metres, the Kazimah III has to discharge some oil at the Ain Sukhna terminal on the Gulf of Suez. From there oil is transported by pipeline to Sidi Kerir Terminal on the Mediterranean, where the vessel loads it again for further transport. The Egyptian government plans to widen and deepen the Suez Canal, so that by 2010 it can accommodate VLCCs and ULCCs. In 2001, the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) launched a 5-year program to reduce tanker transit times (from 14 hours to 11 hours) through the Canal. The SCA is also moving ahead with a project to widen and deepened the Canal to allow for transit of larger ships than the 200,000-dead-weight-ton maximum now.

The Kazimah III has entered the Port of Rotterdam this morning for discharging crude oil at the MOT Terminal Rotterdam.

OBAN B

Today we have the semi-submersible drilling rig Oban B (Port of Registry: Nassau, Bahama's) entering the port of Rotterdam. The Oban B was built at Sevmash Shipyard this year and will be outfitted at Keppel Verolme Shipyard, Rotterdam. The rig is capable of operating in water depths of up to 3,048 meters and can obtain a drilling depth up to 9,144 meters. She is 118,6 metres long, 72,7 meters wide and provides accomodation to a total of 192 persons. The Oban B is equipped with a National Oilwell 209' x 45' x 45' derrick with a capacity of 2,000,000 lbs and four 2,200 HP mud pumps. Just recently, her owner Seadragon Offshore, Cayman Islands, secured the first charter with a long-term contract with Petróleos Mexicanos (PEMEX).

The Oban B will arrive this afternoon at Keppel Verolme Shipyard, Rotterdam accompanied by the tug Magnus, owned by Harms Offshore, Germany.

THEODORA

The Theodora (IMO: 9005338, Port of Registry: Rotterdam) is a bitumen tanker, operated by Theodora Shipping, The Netherlands which operates the most modern and sophisticated fleet of high-heat tankers with cargo capacities ranging from 3.600 to 8.000 tdw and services customers throughout Europe, Mediterranean, Black Sea, West Africa and the Caribbean. The vessel is 110 meters long, 17 meters wide. The ship's Wärtsila 8R 32E, 3,000 kW engine deliver a service speed of approximately 14 knots. The Theodora was built in 1991 at Merwede Shipyard, The Netherlands. She is equipped with 6 wing tanks and 3 centre tanks with a total capacity of 5,156 m3, which can be heated up to a maximum cargo temperature of 250 ^o and three Bornemann screw cargo pumps with a capacity of 375 m3/h.

The Theodora will arrive later this evening at Gebr. van der Lee Tankterminal, Dordrecht with the last port of call at Antwerp.

EASTERN BAY

The Eastern Bay (IMO: 9143752, Port of Registry: Monrovia, Liberia) is a refrigerated cargo ship of 143 meters long, 22 meters wide and a deadweight tonnage of 9,638. The vessel was built in 1997 at Kitanihon Shipbuilding, Japan and is currently operated by Triton Schiffahrts GmbH, Germany and owned by MPC Munchmeyer & Petersen S.S. GmbH. The Eastern Bay is equipped with a 40 tonne crane and eight 6 tonne derricks. She is propelled by a 9,628 kW seven cylinder Mitsubishi engine built by Akasaka Diesels, Japan.

The Eastern Bay arrived last night at the Fruit Terminal Rotterdam with the last of call at Hamburg. She is currently transporting refrigerated cargo from Cartagena, Colombia.

COSCO BEIJING

The Cosco Beijing (IMO: 9308508, Port of Registry: Piraeus) is still one of the largest container vessels measuring in gross tonnage nowadays, together with her sisters: Cosco Hellas, Cosco Ningbo, Cosco Yantian and Cosco Guangzhou. However since the launch in 2006 and 2007 of Maersk PS-class vessels (amongst which are the Emma Maersk, Estelle Maersk and Eleonora Maersk) and Cosco's own 10,000 teu vessels Cosco Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania and America the Cosco Beijing's position on the list of largest containerships is declining.

The Beijing is 350 metres long, almost 43 metres wide, has a deadweight tonnage of 107,000 and a teu capacity of 9,450. She is currently sailing on the AE1-loop which connects Asia and Europe.

The Cosco Beijing is scheduled to arrive later this evening at the ECT Terminal, Rotterdam, with the last port of call at Singapore. The vessel will leave in about 36 hours for Felixstowe, Hamburg and Antwerp before returning to the Far East.

TOISA PEGASUS

Source: Merwede Shipyard

Today we have the offshore support vessel Toisa Pegasus (IMO: 9392509, Port of Registry: London) featuring as the Ship of the Day. The Toisa Pegasus was built this year at Merwede Shipyard, The Netherlands and is especially designed for diving operations as well as subsea construction, installation and maintenance on the North Sea and world wide. With a fully integrated saturation diving system, which has a capacity for 18 divers, and a 400 tonne offshore crane, this vessel can support a wide variety of subsea operations worldwide. The Toisa Pegasus is 131.7 metres long, 22 metres wide and has a maximum speed of 13 knots at the design draught of 6.25 metres. She is propelled by a 2970 kW engine and is equipped with two azimuth aft thrusters of 3000 kW each, two forward tunnel thrusters of 1335 kW each and one forward retractable azimuth thruster of 1200 kW. The Toisa Pegasus is currently performing sea trials for a few days and is therefor regularly leaving and entering the port of Rotterdam.

EUGEN MAERSK

The Eugen Maersk (IMO: 9321550, Port of Registry: Randers, Denmark) is, together with her sisters (amongst others) 'Emma Maersk', 'Estelle Maersk', 'Evelyn Maersk' and 'Ebba Maersk', 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 deadweigth 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 optimize the use of the energy produced, so that the engine can deliver up to 90,000 kW. The vessels in this series will also establish 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 delivered by Odense Steel Shipyard Ltd in 2008 as the seventh and last ship in Maersk's PS-class.

The Eugen Maersk arrived this morning at the APM terminal, Rotterdam from Algeciras. Tomorrow, the vessel will set sail for Bremerhaven. She will return within two months to Rotterdam.

COSCO CHINA

Today's Ship of the Day is the Cosco China (IMO: 9305465, Port of Registry: Monrovia, Liberia), which is a container vessel of 335 meters long, 43 meters wide, and a teu capacity of 8,200. These dimensions give the vessel a deadweight tonnage of 100,800. She is currently sailing for E.R. Schiffahrt Germany on the China - Europe loop.

The Cosco China arrived last night at the ECT Delta Terminal, Rotterdam from Singapore. She is expected to depart tomorrow evening with destination Felixstowe and is scheduled to return to Rotterdam within two months.

BERGE STAHL

The Berge Stahl seen moored at Ponta da Madeira, Brasil.

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 arrived last night 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.

ALEXANDRA

Today we have a 'golden oldie' as the SOTD. It is the, in 1963 built, tug Alexandra (IMO: 5418630, flag: United Kingdom). The Alexandra is with its gross tonnage of 164 only small amongst all the large ships on this page, but since it's 43 years old, it is worth mentioning that she will arrive this morning in Dordrecht. The tug is still in service, owned by Niarcos Shipping, Rochester, UK and managed by G.P.S. Marine Contractors. She is 28 meters long, 7.6 meters wide and has a maximum BHP of 1066. The following towing gear is available:

• Auto winch hydraulic single drum towing winch
• 500M x 32MM wire with spelter sockets
• 2 x 220M x 64MM Nutech polyprop ropes
• 2 x 20M 20 ton tested wire bridles
• 2 x 10M 20 ton tested wire bridles

The Alexandra sails in the extended European area IE North Cape, Full Baltic/Gulf of Bothnia in season, full Mediterranean and the Black Sea. She has entered the Port of Rotterdam this morning towing the pontoon E-3504 to the 8th Petroleumhaven, Rotterdam originating from Chatham.

ELEONORA MAERSK

The Eleonora Maersk (IMO: 9321500, Port of Registry: Svendborg, Denmark) is, together with her sisters (amongst others) 'Emma Maersk', 'Estelle Maersk', 'Evelyn Maersk' and 'Ebba Maersk', 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 optimize the use of the energy produced, so that the engine can deliver up to 90,000 kW. The vessels in this series will also establish 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 built by Odense Steel Shipyard Ltd in 2006.

The Eleonora Maersk arrived this morning at the APM terminal, Rotterdam from Algeciras. Tomorrow, the vessel will set sail for Bremerhaven. She will return within two months to Rotterdam.

The Eleonora Maersk seen arriving at Rotterdam at January 24, 2007. Many thanks to Rene Nicolaes of Sea-Ships.com for the photo!

AL JABRIYAH II

Today's Ship of the Day is the Suez-Max tanker Al Jabriyah II (IMO: 9329708, Port of Registry: Kuwait). The Al Jabriyah II is 333 metres long and 60 metres wide and has a maximum draught of 22.5 metres. These dimensions give the vessel a deadweight tonnage of over 317,500. The vessel was delivered in 2007 by Hyundai Heavy Industries and is owned by the Kuwait Oil Tanker Co. She is propelled by a 6S90MC-C HHI MAN B&W engine. The Al Jabriyah II's sister vessel is the Kazimah III which featured as Ship of the Day in May 2008. The Al Jabriyah II arrived this morning at the MOT Terminal Rotterdam with the last port of call at Mina Al Ahmadi, Kuwait. For some more pictures (exterior and interior) take a look at Auke Visser's Supertankers website

Photo by: Fred Vloo

OTINA

The Otina (IMO:9196644, flag:Isle of Man) is an, in 2002 built by Hitachi Zosen Corp., very large crude carrier (VLCC). The vessel is 333 meters long, 60 meters wide, has a maximum draugth of 21 meters and a deadweight of over 298,000 tons. The ship is owned by Hitachi Hull 4983 Ltd., managed by Stasco Ship Management, London and propelled by a MAN B&W 7S80MC engine. The vessel was previously named Hakata and Front Hakata.

The Otina arrived this morning at the Vopak terminal, Rotterdam after spending a few days anchored at sea. The vessel is currently loading and will depart within a few days.

OOSTERSCHELDE

The three-masted topsail schooner 'Oosterschelde' (IMO: 5347221, Port of Registry: Rotterdam) is the last remaining representative of the large fleet of schooners that sailed under the Dutch flag at the beginning of the 20th century. As the largest restored Dutch sailing ship the 'Oosterschelde' is a monument for Dutch shipbuilding and maritime navigation under sail. The vessel was built in the Netherlands in 1918 at the order of the Rotterdam shipping company H.A.A.S. As a freighter the ship could carry some hundred tons of cargo. The vessel was restored between 1990 and 1992 and since then it has made a voyage around the world and several other long voyages. Next to these voyages the vessel is also available for chartering. The vessel is 50 metres long, 7.5 meters wide and has a mast heigth from the keel of 36 metres. She has a sail area of 891 square metres and is also equipped with a 6 cylinder Deutz, 360 pk engine.

Photo by: Pieter Nijdeken

The Oosterschelde has a maximum capacity of 120 passengers for daytrips (at sea: 36) and 24 on longer voyages. The accomodation exists of 8 two-person cabins and 2 four-person cabins. One board are 5 toilets and two showers. The Oosterschelde arrived this morning at the Veerhaven, Rotterdam returning after a long season in the Svalbard region. She will do some daytrips in Rotterdam and do spend some time in the shipyard before leaving again towards the islands of Cape Verde at the end of November. More information can be found at: www.oosterschelde.nl

NEFTEGAZ-57

The Neftegaz-57 (IMO: 8418473, Port of Registry: Murmansk, Russia) is a 81 metres long, 16 metres wide supply ship. The vessel was built in 1987 in Szczecin, Poland and had a major renovation in 2007. She is propelled by two 2650 kW Sulzer engines which give the ship a maximum speed of 15.3 knots and a bollard pull of 80 tons. She is fitted with a crane capable of lifting up to 12,5 tons. The Neftegaz-57 is operated by Workships Contractors, The Netherlands and can be chartered for all kinds of jobs.

The Neftegaz-57 is expected to arrive later this morning at the Waalhaven, Rotterdam towing a pontoon loaded with newbuilt barges.

MAERSK STEPNICA

The Maersk Stepnica (IMO: 9352004, Port of Registry: Rotterdam) is one of the latest newbuildings, managed by 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 arrived this morning at the APM terminal, Rotterdam. The Maersk Stepnica is currently deployed on Maersk's AE-1 loop. She is scheduled to return to Rotterdam in about 7 weeks.