Midnight Sun sees the light of day

Better late than never. The first commercial dry cargo ship to be built in the USA for over a decade has entered service; almost a year to the day after its initial scheduled delivery date. Totem Ocean Trailer Express (TOTE)?s $150 million Midnight Sun departed the Port of Tacoma on April 23 en route to the Port of Anchorage with its first cargo since its delivery from San Diego?s National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO) yard in March.

The roro ship, along with a sister vessel North Star, scheduled for delivery next month (August), was ordered, TOTE says, to meet increased demand on the US west coast cabotage service and to satisfy changing customer requirements. These requirements mean the ship features dedicated car stowage and capacity for large high-cube equipment of up to 53? long and 81/2? wide.

The 65,314g Midnight Sun is 256m long and has a width of 36m, which removes the option of transiting the Panama Canal but increases the onboard manoeuvring space for long trailers. The ship has a cargo deck area of 33,444m2, which is able to accommodate up to 600 40? trailers and 220 cars as well as oversized freight. The design deadweight is 20,800t.

The capacity represents a 50 per cent increase on the three Ponce-class vessels that TOTE has operated in Alaskan trades for the past 25 years. However, the company reckons loading and discharge of the ship will still be achieved within nine hours for most cargos, a process facilitated by the ship?s 13 internal ramps, as compared to the five on each of the Ponce-class ships, as well as development of the company?s terminals in both Tacoma and Anchorage.

The Orca-class ships, as Midnight Sun and North Star are designated, also represent a significant development on the three preceding TOTE vessels in that they are motor ships (the Ponce-class vessels all being steam ships). Midnight Sun has a twin-screw, diesel electric propulsion arrangement with total installed power of 52.2MW.

The power plant consists of six MAN B&W diesel generators (four 9L58/64 main generators capable of producing up to 11,700kW each at 400 rev/min and two 9L27/38 auxiliary generators each producing up to 2,700kW at 720 rev/min) and a 6.6kV Alstom electrical distribution plant.

The two M3HXD 330-185/20 propulsion motors are each rated at 19.75MW at 125 rev/min and are synchronous, variable speed, reversible, brushless and double-wound. Starting and speed control of the propulsion motors is facilitated by synchroconverters. Each motor drives a five-bladed, fixed pitch bronze propeller. Steering is performed via a pair of semi-balanced Mariner type rudders. A centralised machinery control system provides automated plant control, alarm and monitoring.

Other significant power consumers include the ship?s 200 reefer receptacles and its electric ramp and deck de-icing system. A power management system automates control of electrical power generation and distribution.

The hull has a raised forecastle, a transom stern and a bulbous bow. It has ice belt strengthening, although this is not reflected in the ABS classification: A1, Vehicle Carrier, AMS, ACCU.

TOTE placed the $300 million order for the two ships with NASSCO in December 1999, with deliveries scheduled for April and September 2002. Construction of Midnight Sun started in June 2001 and by this stage its scheduled delivery had slipped to October 2002 with the second ship due to follow in April 2003. The subsequent delay through the construction stage occurred despite the fact that NASSCO has recently invested $85 million in equipment, including two 300t cranes, to allow its production teams to assemble and lift much larger blocks and thus increase shipbuilding efficiency and reduce construction time.

Fastship contact by year end?

Fastship Atlantic is anticipating turning its fast roro ship project into contractual reality within the next six months. “I?m pretty confident something is going to break this year,” says Roland Bullard, president of the company.

The contracting of the project ? which seeks to have two 38 knot semi-planing monohull roro?s built in the US and two built in Spain ? has been laboured by financing challenges. Fastship is working with the US Maritime Administration (MARAD) and the US Department of Transportation to secure Title XI loan guarantees for the building of the proposed US ships. Other financing avenues are being explored for the proposed Spanish ships.

Bullard reckons the decision on the US ships will benefit from their potential to give the US Navy a fast strategic sealift capability. Earlier this year about $25 million was appropriated for Title XI financing of ships with potential military applications. However the whole Title XI system is currently under review by the US?s General Accounting Office, MARAD and the Department of Transportation. Add to that the burden to the US taxpayer of the failed Project America cruise ship exercise at Ingalls shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and the hesitation to give backing to what seems a high-risk project is understandable.

The Fastship vessel design is intended to cut transit time between Philadelphia in the US and Cherbourg in France to about four days. Its initial target market is high value time-sensitive container cargoes, where the reduced time to market offered by the faster transit time and the roll-on roll-off rail-based loading and unloading system is of most benefit. Subsequent targets include customised autos.

The optimal dimensions of the transatlantic ship are 262m long by 39.6m beam, says Bullard, although the ship can be smaller. The optimally dimensioned ships will be propelled by five Rolls-Royce MT50 gas turbines delivering 250MW of power to five Rolls-Royce waterjets. The power, says Bullard, will ensure the ships can get their 10,000t cargo across the Atlantic without slowing down, regardless of sea condition.

Pasha PCTC back on blocks

Pasha Hawaii Transport Lines has contracted VT Halter Marine to complete construction of the 4,000 unit Pure Car Truck Carrier Jean Anne. The contact calls for delivery of the 13,000 dwt ship in the final quarter of 2004. Construction on Jean Anne was suspended in 2001 when the Pascagoula, Mississippi-based yard?s former owner Friedman Goldman Halter succumbed to financial problems. The yard was rescued in October last year when Singapore?s ST Marine completed its acquisition.