Stena Bulk’s IMOIIMAX tanker Stena Imperative named in Hong Kong
The chemical and product tanker Stena Imperative was yesterday named at China Merchants Wharf in Hong Kong, the centre of the world’s most crowded trading and financial district, reports today the Company. The vessel, an IMOIIMAX MR tanker, is wholly owned by Stena Bulk and was delivered a few days ago from the Chinese shipyard CSSC Offshore & Marine Engineering (CSSC OME*) in Guangzhou.
The traditional naming ceremony took place in a rainy Hong Kong attended by representatives of corporate management, the owner, customers, partners and shipyard representatives from all over the world. The happy and proud godmother is Kim Olsson, wife of Dan Sten Olsson’s son William. The Stena Imperative’s captain is Karan Bembey and on the first stage of her maiden voyage she will sail to Papua New Guinea. There, she will take on a cargo of vegetable oils and then continue on her voyage to Europe where she will discharge her cargo in Barcelona and Rotterdam.
In conjunction with the naming ceremony, a donation was handed over to Guangzhou Shipyard Hospital, which is located close to the shipyard in Guangzhou and where the shipyard employees as well as their families have access to quick and good care.
The IMOIIMAX tankers are part of a fleet operated by Stena Weco (http://www.stenaweco.com) and sail in the company’s global logistic system, which currently employs about 60 vessels.
“Now, already after a year in operation, it is clear that the IMOIIMAX tankers have met our expectation in every way. The technical design is, of course, extremely important, but the fact that the vessels are operated successfully in the Stena Weco-system with its well-functioning logistics is the real key to success”, says Erik Hånell, CEO of Stena Bulk.
With the IMOIIMAX concept, Stena Weco is able to easily switch between different markets. The vessel’s cargo flexibility and the ability to quickly clean the cargo tanks for different types of cargo means furthermore that her utilisation can be maximised.
The Stena Imperative is the fifth of 13 tankers ordered by Stena Bulk (ten in 2012 and three in 2015 with an option on a further two). Four of the total of 13 vessels ordered, the Stena Impression, the Stena Image, the Stena Imperial and the Stena Important, were delivered in 2015 and delivery of the remaining eight vessels, after the Stena Imperative, will be completed in 2018. Three of the 13 IMOIIMAX tankers are wholly owned by Stena Bulk, six are owned together with GAR (Golden Agri Resources), two are owned by Stena Bulk’s sister company Concordia Maritime and two are owned by Stena Weco.
The IMOIIMAX model is a further development of a well-established and successful concept with extra large cargo flexibility and even lower fuel consumption. Stena Teknik and the shipyard GSI were jointly responsible for the technical development of the IMOIIMAX concept. The IMOIIMAX tankers have 18 tanks in order to be able to transport both vegetable oils and chemicals such as oil and petroleum products.
