Table of Contents
At the shipyard COSCO in Guangzhou (China), the ship “Xin Guang Hua” (under the flag of Hong Kong, IMO 9751573) was built, which means “Son of Guanghua”. According to a source, this vessel became the largest in the fleet of the customer, the company COSCO Shipping Specialized Carriers Inc. Ltd, and the world’s second-largest semi-submersible vessel for carrying heavy cargoes.
Deadweight of the ship is 98 thousand tons; free deck space is 211 m x 68 m. This is reported by the Russian Trade Union of Seafarers. This is a large vessel for transportation of heavy goods.
The ship can carry a cargo weighing up to 85 thousand tons. At the moment, Xin Guang Hua is contracted to transport the hull of the drilling platform Appomattox from South Korea to Texas. The platform is designed to develop a field in the Gulf of Mexico. The contract for its transportation is a part of a framework agreement between Shell and COSCO.
Basic characteristics of Specialized Carriers Inc.
- ship’s name: XIN GUANG HUA
- type: heavy load carrier
- flag of Hong Kong
- GT: 84503
- DWT (t): 98,370
- length (m): 255
- width (m): 68
- the year of building: 2016
Appomattox Field
Dutch oil and gas concern Royal Dutch Shell announced the beginning of the installation of the eighth platform for the development of the Appomattox field in the Gulf of Mexico, as the company said.
After installing the platform, the average oil production from the field will be approximately 175,000 barrels per day.
“Appomattox will lead to the growth of our production in the Gulf of Mexico, where our production last year amounted to an average of about 225,000 barrels of oil per day, and this development will be beneficial in the coming decades,” as told in the release Marvin Odum, the director of the American division of extraction of Shell.
Royal Dutch Shell is an Anglo-Dutch oil and gas concern that produces and processes hydrocarbons in more than 40 countries around the world.
Shell discovered the Appomattox mine in 2010. It is located in Louisiana, about 129 kilometers from the coast.