World Bunkering > News > Winter 2010 > Small is beautiful too

In recent years, the definite trend worldwide has been towards larger bunker barges for a number of very good reasons, such as the need to carry different grades and the simple fact that the ‘customers’ – the ships taking on fuel – are getting bigger.

That move towards larger vessels has been reflected in the barges featured in World Bunkering in this occasional series of barge design features. This time, however, we are putting the spotlight on a positively tiny vessel, the Hais 1, which has just entered service in the Maldives.

Mohamed Hameed, ceo of Antrac Maldives, says that the company started planning for a new vessel early last year. The size of the barge was the result of operational constraints. It will have to operate within the inner harbours of the Indian Ocean island nation. Local designer and builder, NS Engineering, came up with a twin screw, 160 gt, 30-metre long vessel with a 10-metre beam and a draft of 3.4 metres. The barge has two Caterpillar 255 hp main engines.

The Hais 1 will carry only MGO and take fuel to the tourist resorts around the islands of the Maldives as well as super yachts and local and foreign commercial vessels. It has a cargo capacity of 180,000 litres in eight tanks, and a Roper cargo pump with a 1,000 litre per minute capacity.

This barge will operate only in Maldives waters and so has been built to Maldives Transport Authority requirements but conforms to international regulations. It will be manned by a minimum of five crew.

Although the barge is well below the size limit for mandatory double-hulls, Antrac decided to specify a double bottom in the design, making Hais 1 the first double- bottomed bunker barge built in the Maldives.

Mr Hameed says: “Yes, we know she is below the size limit for requiring a double bottom, but we decided to specify this feature since we are planning for the barge to be in operation for a long time, and we think things may change in the future. Also, this is the safest option for our sensitive environment if something goes wrong.” NS Engineering has built smaller bunker barges, all single-hulled.

The delivery of the Hais 1 coincides with a downturn in the Maldives’ bunker business but Mr Hameed says: “We have no worries about bringing this barge into opera- Hais tion, on time and within budget.”