VLCC - MESDAR

On November 2^nd 2007 SPC took delivery of its VLCC “Mesdar” at the port of Dalian, after her completion of successful sea trials in the East China Seas.

Mr. Ali Benbouzid, Director General of SPC, on behalf of the owning company NOVSL, and Mr. Xu Kai on behalf of the builders NACKS signed the protocol of delivery at the Shangri-La hotel in Dalian City.

This ship is a joint venture with Kawasaki Shipbuilding Corporation and, was built at Kawasaki’s Nantong shipyard in China.The “Mesdar” is a modern double hull tanker with the following main particulars:

Length:             333m

Breadth:           60m

DWT:                313,900 mt

Gross Tons:    160,295

Draft:                21.15m

Main Engine:   MAN B & W 7580mc-c

Max. Output:    27,160 kw x 76 rpm

Speed:            16.3 knots

The “Mesdar” is of a design which maximizes cargo capacity for passing through the straits of Malacca, and has a range of 25,000 nautical miles. This is of great importance to Sonatrach, which maintains a very large crude oil storage facility in South Korea, from where the Far East market can easily be supplied using other tankers of a smaller capacity than a VLCC. The “Mesdar”, therefore, will be instrumental in Sonatrach’s drive into the markets of the Far East.

On her first voyage she loaded a full cargo of crude oil from the Arabian Gulf to Europe for the account of SHELL. Following this maiden voyage, she will then proceed to Algeria to load cargo for the account of Sonatrach.

The naming ceremony for the MESDAR took place previously on 19 October 2007