TEMPERA Double acting tanker for ice conditions

Viewing Tempera bow-on, the Fortum-owned ship looks like any normal Aframax tanker. Even from the stern there is not an obvious difference. Close inspection, however, reveals an aft-facing wheelhouse and, to the expert eye, stern hull lines designed to break ice. These features allow the 106,000 dwt ship to travel astern in frozen seas.

Below the waterline the difference from other tankers is more apparent with a single Azipod unit supplying drive and manoeuvrability at the stern. The tractor pod is swung through 180 deg. when frozen seas require astern operation giving the ship its double acting tanker (DAT) capability, a concept developed and patented by Finland?s Kvaerner Masa-Yards and applied for the first time on Tempera.

“Tempera has met our expectations and performed well during the first voyages,” proclaims Stig Sundberg, master of Tempera. “Of course there are still some final tunings to do, but that?s quite normal with newbuildings.”

“Now we are waiting for hard winter to see the DAT concept in practice,” adds Markus Karjalainen, vice president, Fortum Shipping.

The ship was delivered from Japan?s Sumitomo Heavy Industries in August 2002 and is now trading in the Baltic Sea, its principal operational region. A sister ship, Mastera, is scheduled for delivery later this year. Tempera was featured in the October 2002 issue of The Motor Ship.