The 1995-built Bow Atlantic and the 2010-built Flumar Brasil have served the Odfjell and Flumar fleets faithfully for decades. Now sailing the South America trades, the two have in recent years carried oil and chemicals for customers from Argentina in the south to Manaus in the north. Worn by weather and age, it was time for an upgrade.
Flumar Brasil arrives the EAS shipyard
Odfjell’s drydocking program treats each owned vessel to a well-deserved maintenance break once every 5-6 years, at a carefully selected yard. Through meticulous research, experience and quality assurance, only a few selected shipyards make it through the needle eye of approval.
The bar is high, so it was a rare occasion that the Odfjell and Flumar management chose a brand new drydock provider for the exclusive upgrade of Bow Atlantic and Flumar Brasil – especially for Flumar Brasil, where the construction and installation of a new ballast water system were required.
Bow Atlantic and Flumar Brasil
Pioneering against the (pandemic) odds
The EAS shipyard in Suape is a 4th generation shipyard, the largest in the southern hemisphere. Originally a shipbuilding yard, activity was lacking due to low market activity. EAS delivered its 15th tanker vessel in July 2019, and had been inactive since then. Modern, well equipped and spacious, the yard searched for new business opportunities to explore, including ship repair projects.
“The management team was absolutely committed to the success of this dual drydock project”, said Ole Svendsen, VP of Fleet Flumar.
Every drydock is a collaborative effort between the yard and the shipowner. A team from Odfjell and Flumar, with resources from Bergen and Sao Paulo, was onsite throughout, providing guidance and supervision.
“We are very happy with the end result. Not only did EAS deliver quality services – they did this pioneering work in the middle of a challenging pandemic”.
The groundbreaking project was watched closely by Brazilian authorities, maritime businesses and other shipowners as it represents an untapped potential for the Brazilian maritime cluster.
“Flumar trusted us and gave us the opportunity to prove that we can provide ship repair services with great quality and on a timely basis. Having an extremely demanding and international client as Flumar being our first, helped us to set a high standard benchmark that we offer as a differential of EAS”
CEO Nicole Terpins, EAS
“We are pleased to be part of this pioneering step towards regenerating the ship repair industry in Brazil – and with it the initiation of an excellent business relationship between Odfjell, Flumar and EAS,” Ole Svendsen said.
Makeovers for a more sustainable fleet
The Odfjell drydock program is designed not only to secure regular maintenance and a longer working life for the vessel. The upgrades also include technical innovations that have documented effects on the ships’ energy efficiency, reducing each vessel’s environmental footprint.
Odfjell aims to be a front runner in minimizing the environmental footprints of shipping. Through innovations and investments, we have increased the energy efficiency of our managed fleet by 30% since 2009. The work continues, and we recently set climate targets that go beyond the targets set by IMO.
New suit
At this drydock, Bow Atlantic was treated to the extensive 25-year docking and repair, while Flumar Brasil got a ballast water treatment system installed, an upgrade of the cargo piping system for faster loading and discharge, and a full blasting of the underwater hull.
After coming in to the EAS shipyard with clear marks of a busy working life, Bow Atlantic and Flumar Brasil depart with brand new suits just a few weeks later, all set to take on new assignments for our customers in the years to come.
Read more about Bow Atlantic Read more about Flumar Brasil
