OSD-IMT offshore utility vessels delivered to Unithai

Two OSD-IMT-designed 80 tonnes bollard pull offshore utility vessels were delivered during the last quarter of 2018 to Thailand-based operator Unithai Offshore.

Unithai Samui and Unithai Chumporn were both built at Unithai Shipyard and Engineering in Leam Chabang, Thailand. They will be used for a wide range of duties in and around offshore oilfields and oil terminals, including berthing and unberthing oil tankers ranging from 60,000 dwt to 280,000 dwt. They will also be able to carry out long-line towing and push-pull operations, firefighting duties, SPM maintenance operations, floating hose and subsea hose string maintenance, anchor handling duties, inter-/intrafield supply operation and pollution control duties.

The vessels have a length of 49.98 m, a beam of 15.0 m, a height of 6.20 m and a moulded draft of 5.0 m. They can accommodate a crew of 22, are classed with Bureau Veritas and registered and flagged in Thailand, operating under the rules and regulations of Thailand Registry.

The OSD-IMT7001 vessels are equipped with twin Niigata ZP41 azimuth propulsion units, each coupled via a cardan shaft arrangement to a Niigata 8L28HX marine diesel engine, giving the vessels a free running speed of around 13 knots.

About OSD-IMT
OSD-IMT designs tailored vessels, offers various marine consultancy services and provides innovative conversion engineering. We have great experience in all areas of marine engineering such as new construction, conversion and upgrades. We use our extensive and practical experience, collective knowhow and modern design tooling to help you develop new
marine assets and maintain and upgrade existing ones. Listening to and sharing ideas with our clients is our starting point for each project.
www.osd-imt.com

For more information:
Merijn Brusselers
OSD-IMT
+31 (0)255 54 50 70
merijn.brusselers@osd-imt.com

Failure to check charterparty wording catches ship manager off guard

International Transport Intermediaries Club (ITIC) has urged ship brokers and managers to check the terms of their charterparty agreements closely before signing, in order to avoid costly mistakes further down the line.

By way of illustration, ITIC cites the case of the manager of a tanker entering West African waters who believed that the terms of a charterparty provided that armed guards were to be appointed at the charterer’s expense. The manager duly appointed the guards for the voyage at a cost of $170,000, but the charterer refused to pay the invoice.

The terms of the charterparty did in fact include provisions relating to the appointment of armed guards, but their deployment was not mandatory. In addition, the charterparty provided that the charterer was only liable for up to $20,000 of any such costs. The charterer offered to pay that $20,000, and the owner demanded that the managers pay the shortfall.

The owner pointed out that it had sent the manager voyage orders stating that the decision to appoint armed guards was one for the owner to make. It had in fact only appointed armed guards for one out of the last ten calls to the area and on
that occasion the charterparty required the charterer to pay the security bill in full.

ITIC says it has seen a number of claims caused by ship brokers and managers acting on their recollection of a charterparty wording, as opposed to checking what the charterparty actually says. On this occasion, ITIC reimbursed the full claim of $150,000.

ITIC is managed by Thomas Miller. More details about the club and the services it offers can be found on ITIC’s website at www.itic-insure.com


For more information:
Charlotte Kirk
ITIC
Tel. +44 (0)20 7338 0150
charlotte.kirk@thomasmiller.com