Stena V-Max VLCC Delivered

The Shipbuilding Division held a christening ceremony for Concordia Maritime’s innovative 315,000 DWT VLCC at its Ulsan shipyard on April 19th. Mrs. Karen Fidler, wife of the president of Sunoco Inc., the independent U.S. refiner that chartered the VLCC, named the ship the “Stena Vision”. The ship was delivered to her owner on the following day.

Built for Concordia Maritime, a public tanker company of the Swedish-based Stena organization, the 315,000 DWT VLCC is a revolutionary type of crude oil carrier. The 336 meter long Stena V-Max design VLCC differs from other large tankers built in the world to date.

In addition to double hulls, the VLCC has double, completely separate engine rooms, double rudders and double propellers. This twin-engine configuration gives the VLCC substantial advantages since one main engine can be shut down for maintenance while the vessel continues its voyage with the other.

But, above all, all these double functions represent an extra safety feature, and provide the VLCC with maneuverability far superior to that of other conventional VLCCs. In all likelihood, many serious tanker accidents could have been avoided with this innovative ship type.

Furthermore, the Concordia’s new VLCC employs an exceptionally beamy, shallow-draught hull form. She has a beam of 70 meters compared to the normal 58-60 meter one for VLCCs. These features make it possible for the VLCC to offer a considerably higher loading capacity on a limited draught than more conventional VLCCs.