“Kuwait Oil Tanker Company (KOTC) has successfully completed a major Fleet New Building Project involving the building of ten new vessels to replace single hull tankers and the modernisation of the existing ageing fleet in line with present shipping trends. A total of six vessels were constructed to DNV class – two VLCCs and two VLGCs at Hyundai Heavy Industries and two Panamax tankers at Daewoo,” says Tariq Usmani, the manager of Fleet New Building Projects at KOTC. He has been visiting the DNV headquarters with his colleague Mr Bader Al Otaibi, the general superintendent of the Fleet New Building Projects Group.
“The new building project was noticeably different from KOTC’s previous projects as it ensured that the new construction was in line with the project’s pre-defined objectives. KOTC’s principal objective was to ensure that the vessels are constructed as per the concept of ‘Cradle to Grave’, which is in line with our policy of keeping these vessels fully operational without problems during their full service life,” Mr Usmani underlines.
He further elaborates that: “The project’s concept was developed in cooperation with DNV, keeping in mind the parent company KPC’s requirements and KOTC policy. The concept required the vessels to be of high quality, modern, safe, reliable, efficient and environment-friendly, with a design service life of 20–25 years. The vessels have ‘Operation Oriented Design’, providing higher redundancies, greater flexibility and enhanced safety/ environmental protection.
“KOTC’s project management team was headed by Mr M. G. Abdullah – the general manager of Projects, who was instrumental in creating and implementing the new concept,” says Mr Usmani.
KOTC is a subsidiary of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) and was established in 1959, when it took delivery of its first crude oil tanker, the Kazimah (49,000 dwt), which was at that time considered to be a supertanker. KOTC now owns and operates a fleet comprising eight Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs), four Very Large Gas carriers (VLGCs), twelve petroleum product tankers, two bunker tankers and two tug/support boats. KOTC is still continuing to renew its fleet.
“The construction of the new vessels was successfully executed by using DNV as both a classification society and a technical consultant, a concept which proved to be immensely beneficial to the project,” continues Mr Usmani. “The project involved three phases; pre-construction, construction and post-construction. The plan approval process was the most critical aspect of the project and was carried out by KOTC’s in-house team with the assistance of DNV.” He adds that the construction supervision was another critical feature for which KOTC placed its own staff in key positions at the site offices to achieve effective results.
With respect to the new building industry, Mr Usmani is of the opinion that using DNV’s services for various aspects of the project had been beneficial to KOTC as, in general terms, classification societies have good relations with the yard, which can lead to better and more effective results and ensure good quality is achieved.
“The classification societies are the most effective means in the marine industry and can effectively use their influence with the shipyards to improve the quality of the construction work. We have noted and appreciate DNV’s positive contribution in this respect,” he says.
Mr Usmani elaborates on the importance of carrying out various analytical studies of critical aspects of the construction process, saying that “KOTC benefited immensely from the analysis of critical areas such as strength calculation, hull structure fatigue, noise and vibrations, shaft alignment, etc. This was very effective as various deficiencies were highlighted during the course of the construction work and appropriate counter measures were implemented.” He adds that DNV carried out most of these analyses very professionally as it had access to huge amounts of necessary data and the qualified/experienced personnel to undertake such studies.
“The analysis of various critical areas was a key element which helped KOTC to enhance the quality of the vessels,” says Mr Usmani.
Mr Bader Al Otaibi adds that the DNV Nauticus construction software was used very effectively by KOTC during all three construction stages. The software was modified to suit the KOTC new building project concept.
“One of the most important elements for KOTC’s new building project was environmental protection; in this regard all our new tankers have the DNV Clean notation, additional oily water separators, additional ODME, dedicated low sulphur tanks, inner/outer bunker tanks, an enhanced oily water processing system, etc. This is to ensure KOTC’s commitment to environmental protection.”
He states that KOTC also placed important emphasis on the comfort of the crew on board by providing high class accommodation. The new vessels are constructed with comfort class notations from DNV for the comfort and benefit of international crews made up of Kuwaitis, Arabs, Asians and Europeans. On the issue of crew, he states that, like other shipping companies, KOTC also has a challenge to attract the right people and is doing its utmost to attract and retain employees.
“Finally,” says Mr Usmani, “I would like to compliment DNV, and especially Mr Eivind Grøstad and Mr H. Gandhi for their unstinted support and timely assistance.” Mr Usmani is quick to add that the contribution of the DNV Kuwait office to the project was exemplary. “The country manager, Mr Gandhi, was a key success factor for us – always ready to solve any problem there and then with the prompt assistance of DNV’s worldwide services.”
Date: 2008-03-14