Concordia Maritime of the Stena Group has again taken the industrial helm with its decision to build an innovative new series of 49,900 dwt tankers dubbed P-MAX. The contract calls for four vessels with options for two more. Croatia's Brodosplit shipyard was chosen for the job
The P-MAX ships, similar in concept to the company's award-winning V-MAX series, have several features for minimising the risk of casualties, mishaps or incidents. Double hulls, optimal corrosion control, two engine rooms with full fire and water integrity, redundant and separate systems for propulsion are vital safeguards for proactive safety according to Concordia Maritime, which believes the P-MAX is the safest medium-range tanker ever.
Trading flexibility
The Stena P-MAX is designed to carry crude oil as well as clean or dirty products. By implementing ETC (Effective Tank Cleaning), a certified effective cleaning system and smooth cargo tanks, changing from dirty to clean products, can be achieved in a short time, thus minimising the risk of contamination. This also means that the tanks can be cleaned in the minimum of time. Cargo operation is further enhanced by corrugated bulkheads in the tanks, which reduce the remaining amount of cargo on board after discharge. Concordia Maritime believes the rewards of saving time and safeguarding against contamination of the cargo will be substantial.
The Stena P-MAX's flexibility is further enhanced by its design and construction, which comply with the Finnish-Swedish ICE Class 1B. The vessels are designed and constructed for a structural fatigue life of 40 years.
Money saved and money gained
Concordia Maritime believes proactive safety will soon be the entrance ticket to sensitive waters all over the world. These areas are not only growing in number, they are also often located in the vicinity of oil-dependent markets.
As governments and influential organisations cannot afford to take any chances with the carriage of oil, shipowners and operators are facing a public attitude of absolute zero tolerance. Under these circumstances, Concordia Maritime firmly believes that proactive safety will become the key to long-term business.
Certainly, safety is compatible with low transportation cost. Powerful engines, for example, enable fuel consumption to be low compared to a medium range tanker of 47,000 dwt. And when time is valuable, flexibility and the possibility of extra speed mean money saved.