Erik Hånell, President and CEO Stena Bulk with wife Katarina Hånell; captain Vinay Singh; godmother Kari McCormick and Doug McCormick, Commercial Regional Manager, Chevron in Houston; Kristina Hagman and Carl-Johan Hagman, CEO Stena Shipping, Drilling & Ferries (Photo: Kristofer Hultén)A new 50,000 DWT MR chemical and product tanker based on the IMOIIMAX concept, Stena Imperial, was named yesterday in Savannah, Ga.
Built by Chinese shipyard Guangzhou Shipbuilding International (GSI) and delivered on July 1, Stena Imperial recently arrived in Savannah on the U.S. East Coast with a cargo of palm oil.
The new ship is owned by a joint venture of which Stena Bulk and Indonesian Golden Agri Resources (GAR) each own 50 percent. She is the third of 10 vessels ordered by Stena Bulk for a total of $400 million with delivery to be completed by 2017. The vessels are operated by Stena Weco and trade within the company’s logistical systems, which now will include a fleet of some 60 tankers.
The 183-meter-long, 32-meter-beam Stena Imperial offers high cargo flexibility and lower fuel consumption as a further development of the IMOIIMAX tanker concept designed to transport both vegetable oils, chemicals as well as clean and dirty petroleum products.
“We are very pleased with the performance of the IMOIIMAX tankers delivered so far,” said Erik Hånell, CEO of Stena Bulk. “The configuration of several small tanks provides for considerable flexibility in regards of cargo combination, something that fits very well within our existing global logistical systems. Additionally, innovative technical solutions have, for example, resulted in lower fuel consumption and have also proved to be very effective in conjunction with discharging and tank cleaning.”
The IMOIIMAX concept was developed by Stena Teknik together with GSI. The tanker has 18 tanks of the same size, each with a capacity of 3,000 cubic meters, which allows for greater cargo flexibility. A large number of innovative technical solutions have been implemented, which together, when sailing at service speed, result in 10-20 percent lower fuel consumption compared with other vessels of the same size.
Kari McCormick, wife of Doug McCormick, Commercial Regional Manager, Chevron in Houston, was godmother at the Stena Imperial naming ceremony. The vessel’s captain is Vinay Singh.
The nine remaining IMOIIMAX tankers are the Stena Impression (owned by Stena Bulk and GAR – delivered in January 2015), the Stena Image (owned by Concordia Maritime – delivered on April 8, 2015), the Stena Important (Concordia Maritime – delivery set for autumn 2015), the Stena Imperative (Stena Bulk), the Stenaweco Impulse (Stena Weco), the Stena Imagination (Stena Bulk and GAR), the Stena Immortal (Stena Bulk and GAR), the Stena Immaculate (Stena Bulk and GAR) and the Stena Impeccable (Stena Bulk and GAR).
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Stena Imperial (Photo: Kristofer Hultén
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Newly-named Stena Imperial (Photo: Kristofer Hultén)
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Stena Imperial (Photo: Kristofer Hultén
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Captain Vinay Singh and godmother Kari McCormick (Photo: Kristofer Hultén)
