Second generation Lindenau tankers

In August this year the third of three sister vessels ordered by German Tanker Shipping, Bremen, from Lindenau Shipyard was launched in Kiel. Delivery of the vessel will take place later this year. These three vessels are the first new buildings of Lindenau?s second generation of tankers with double-skinned hulls. The big difference as compared to the first generation is that the fuel tank area is double skinned as well as the cargo area. Lindenau started to build tankers with double hulls in 1976. Since that time more than 30 oil or chemical tankers have been built. In 1993 the yard launched the tanker class 2000 programme and built 13 ships of this type with a tonnage between 1,800 and 32,000 dwt (see The Motor Ship, February 2000, page 38). Owners of class 2000 vessels place similar demands on their ships, and express uniform satisfaction with their performance. For these tankers, intra-Europe trade is characterised by relatively short voyages of one or two days, up to a maximum of six days, with only one lay day between voyages. The class 2000 sister vessels Libelle and Hornisse, both 13,050 dwt mineral oil product tankers, have had no out of service days for technical reasons since their deliveries in 1998 and 1999 respectively. The owner, Carl Buttner GmbH of Bremen, says that both vessels ? although exposed to great stress ? have been consistently reliable and hence trade on schedule. The operating costs are in the expected range. One of the main points underlining his satisfaction with the Lindenau tankers is the quality of manufacturing as well as that of treating and coating the ballast tanks, which has saved rectification costs. German Tanker Shipping has had the same good experience with a class 2000 tanker from Lindenau. The Seadevil was commissioned in 1996 followed by the first of the class 2004 vessels, Seaturbot, in July 2000 and the second, Seamullet, in April this year. All these vessels are of about the same size (loa either 177m to 178m) and powered by MAN B&W engines of the same type and output (8,340 kW). Their main difference is the hull design. The new class 2004 vessels have a longitudinal volume bulkhead, which makes the cargo room smaller than that of the Seadevil with the same size, but without a longitudinal bulkhead. The owner says that this design feature is of great importance for his ships and their range of trade. Lindenau says that there are of course some owners who prefer ships without volume bulkheads to get more cargo room but they transport only light products with a specific weight between 0.71 and 0.74kg per litre. During the first year in service the experience with Seaturbot did not show considerable difference compared with that of Seadevil, with performance as per expectations. Both owners ? Buttner and German Tanker ? emphasised the importance of a good crew and consistent inspections as well as on-condition-maintenance. Beyond that they emphasise the importance of the marine equipment installed onboard their ships, making use of the experience gathered. When Lindenau changed from class 2000 to class 2004 the main objective was more safety as regards manoeuvrability, collision, strength and ecology. This led to the highest safety class notation by Germanischer Lloyd of “coll 3” and a minimum pollution risk. The installed shaft generator can be switched to work as a motor in case of a main engine failure.