South Shields based Solar Solve Marine has just received an order for the vessel Spring Splendor from Wallem Shipmanagement in Hong Kong.
The vessel, owned by Clipper in Denmark, was built at Shanghai Jiangnan-Changxing Shipbuilding in China and was delivered in January 2011. It is the second VLCC (Very Large Crude Carrier) in a series of four to be delivered to Clipper and also the largest at 298,002 dwt. It has been placed on a long-term charter agreement transporting crude oil between the Arabian Gulf and the Far East. She is 330 metres long, 60 metres beam, 30 metres deep and 21.5 metres draught with a speed of almost 17 knots.
Solar Solve supplied 6 SOLASAFE roller screens for the navigation bridge windows to reject glare, heat and UV light from the sun, for safer navigation.
SOLASAFE® roller screens use a specialist shade film which protects bridge crew against the effects of sun glare and solar gain, whilst offering a clear outward view when navigating. The film is also tinted to lower brightness levels which significantly reduces eye-strain, ensuring modern bridge equipment displays are easier to read so human errors are less likely to occur. An aluminium layer laminated inside the film rejects heat to reduce fatigue by creating a more comfortable and cooler working environment for crew. Less demand is also placed on bridge air-conditioning systems which require additional fuel consumption to run so environmentally conscious fleet owners can benefit from fuel savings while lowering their CO2 emissions if they install screens at every window on the bridge.
Paul Hopkins, Solar Solve Marine’s Sales and Marketing Executive commented, “The Far-East’s demand for crude oil continues to be strong, even in this poor economic climate. Predictions still vary but the general consensus is that shipping companies will continue to need more VLCC’s built and delivered in order to transport crude oil from the Arabian Gulf to the Far East to meet growing demand. We are delighted that Wallem has chosen to purchase the SOLASOLV® brand once again.”
