THUN DRIVE INTO INTERMEDIATE TANKER SECTOR

Thun Lidkoping has been phased into the operating network overseen through the Gothenburg-headquartered Gothia Tanker Alliance, which holds shipment contracts with oil majors and traders, principally across north west Europe. Constructed by AVIC Dingheng, the ship will be commercially managed by Furetank Chartering, which is responsible for the intermediate segment within the alliance.

Conceived in-house by the parent Erik Thun group, the design of the new tanker generation applies key precepts as to resource efficiency, environmental care and regulatory compliance as well as customer requirements. The vessel is registered under the Dutch flag, with crewing and technical husbandry assigned to MF Shipping Group, based at Farmsum, near Delfzijl.

Thun Lidkoping is arranged with 12 cargo tanks incorporating double-valve segregations and creating a total revenue-earning volume of 21,086 m3. Each space is served by a hydraulically-driven, Framo submerged pump of 400m3/h outturn, affording a practical, maximum loading capacity of 2,400 m3/h through six of the lines at the pipe manifold. The installation includes a vapour return system.

The internals of the tanks are treated with Jotun’s Tankguard Special Ultra coating, a chemically-resistant novolac epoxy formulation to withstand challenging cargoes and cargo sequences. Its very low chemical absorption properties render suitability to frequent changes of cargo. The choice of coating is critical to such vessels, to ensure not only the requisite resistance to a wide range of products and cargo compositions, but also to facilitate cleaning and fast turnarounds, while obviating any retentions in the tanks leading to contamination of subsequent cargoes.

Tank cleaning is accomplished by a Scanjet installation of single-nozzle fixed machines, two in each tank, using either water or cargo as the medium. Tank ventilation is effected by way of a system supplied by Heinen Hopman.

Wärtsilä medium-speed diesel machinery in the shape of an eight-cylinder L32 engine provides a propulsive power output of 4,480kW at 720rpm, translated into thrust by a Wärtsilä controllable pitch propeller. Manoeuvrability is enhanced by a flap rudder and 800kW Brunvoll bow thrusters. The high electrical load associated with cargo operations is covered by an outfit of three gensets driven by Scania 470kW engines.

Second-of-class Thun London is expected to be completed in July, to be followed by the third, fourth and fifth ships between October this year and March 2020.

The handover of Thun Lidkoping by AVIC Dingheng took place simultaneously to that of the delivery of the 8,000dwt product tanker Thun Evolve, the second in a series of four E-class newbuilds ordered by Thun Tankers from Ferus Smit in the Netherlands. The E-class ships have LNG dual-fuel installations. Thun Evolve will be engaged in distributive traffic in the Scandinavian region.

PRINCIPAL PARTICULARS – Thun Lidkoping