Azerbaijan eyes to expand fleet of oil tankers
By Leman Mammadova
Baku Shipyard LLC plans to commission two oil tankers with carrying capacity of about 8,000 tons and two RoPax vessels being built by order of Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company (ASCO) in 2019, a source at the factory told Trend.
It is assumed that these vessels will be able to transport railcars and trucks, and will operate between the countries of the Caspian Sea.
The negotiations are underway with ASCO to conclude a new contract for the construction of new oil tankers.
"During this year, cooperation with ASCO CJSC will continue, and contracts will be signed for the construction of new vessels, such as a 100-ton crane lifting vessel, a 50-ton crane lifting vessel DP1, a 50-ton pontoon ferry, 120-ton anchor handling tug supply vessel and oil tankers," the source said.
An important task for the near future is the development of technical capabilities of the engineering department to the required level of implementing the detailed construction design, according to the source.
Baku Shipyard is also in talks with shipping companies of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.
"The Caspian region is a dynamically developing and promising area of cooperation among the five Caspian littoral states," the source noted. "In this regard, the factory is actively exploring the market and conducting search for companies to cooperate with the Caspian littoral states."
The Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping CJSC was established by merging country's two largest fleets - the Azerbaijan State Caspian Sea Shipping Company and the Caspian Sea Oil Fleet of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic, on October 22, 2013, with the aim of continuing fundamental structural reforms in the economy, enhancing local and international shipping in the maritime sector, strengthening the country's competitiveness and transit potential.
Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company provides transport services related to offshore oil and gas operations within Trans-Caspian as well as the transshipment of cargoes and passengers.
The company includes specialized fleet, shipyards as well as transport fleet.
The merchant fleet consists of 51 vessels: 20 tankers, 13 ferries, 15 universal dry-cargo, 2 Ro-Ro ships as well as 1 auxiliary vessel and 1 floating workshop. The offshore support fleet is comprised of 210 vessels: 20 crane vessels, 25 supply and tug vessels, 26 passenger ships, 2 pipelay barges, 6 firefighting vessels, 7 geological survey vessels, 2 diving support vessels, and 88 other support vessels.
The tanker fleet of the CJSC Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company holds a leading position in the Caspian basin. The company attaches particular attention to equipping its fleet with new vessels in order to keep its weight in the field of freight transportations.
The "Baku Shipyard" LLC is a joint venture of SOCAR, Azerbaijan Investment Company (AIC) and Keppel Offshore & Marine Limited company. Keppel company owns 10 percent of the factory's shares and is fully responsible for its management and operation. SOCAR is the largest shareholder of the enterprise with a share of 65 percent, and it is followed by the AIC, which owns a quarter of the shipyard's shares.
The factory has been designed for the construction of a wide range of specialized and commercial vessels, including multi-purpose naval vessels such as platform supply vessels, as well as tankers and cargo vessels. The conditions for ship repair have also been created at the enterprise.
Baku Shipyard is capable of constructing various vessels ranging from offshore support vessels, general cargo vessels, tug boats, crane vessels, specialized vessels and passengers vessels to tankers.
The yard has a capacity to produce 25,000 tons throughput per annum and able to undertake 80 -100 vessels repairs and conversion of various types.
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