Cosco Shipping Co. Ltd. plans to expand its role in the offshore market by increasing its fleet with the addition of two 50,000-dwt vessels.
These "Big Sister" vessels will be equipped with a cargo deck of 150 x 42 m and will retain the same fully redundant dynamic positioning system as the M/V Tai An Kou and M/V Kang Sheng Kou. Preliminary designs have been completed, and delivery is scheduled for 2008.
Cosco Shipping Co. Ltd. (Coscol), part of Cosco, was established in December 1999. Newborn as it is, it is not a stranger to the field of shipping. Its vessels and staff spun off from Cosco Guangzhou, which has been an active participant in the international transportation of project cargo, heavy-lift cargo, and general cargo since 1961. Coscol's listing on the Shanghai Stock Exchange in April 2002 marks the entrance of Cosco's core business into China's capital market.
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(Below) The M/V Tai An Kou transported the Bunga Raya A topsides from Vietnam to a location off Malaysia for Talisman.
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As the largest project fleet in Asia, Coscol's fleet consists of 81 vessels with a gross deadweight tonnage of 1,240,000 tons, including heavy-lift vessels, RO-RO/LO-LO vessels, pure car carriers, and three semisubmersible heavy-lift vessels.
In 1983, Cosco and NMA Maritime & Offshore Contractors Inc. (NMA) reached an agreement for NMA to act as the exclusive worldwide marketing and management team for Coscol's semisubmersible heavy-lift vessels. NMA has offices in Rotterdam and Houston, and Coscol has a permanent representative in the Houston office.
To ensure that Coscol's new vessels meet the requirements of the offshore market, NMA surveyed Coscol's clients for vessel preferences. A 50,000-dwt vessel capable of carrying larger cargoes, like semisubmersible rigs, larger jackup rigs, integrated production semis, TLPs, and spars proved the answer.
Coscol's experience in the semisubmersible market dates back to 1983, with the purchase of the M/V Developing Road. The M/V Developing Road is a 13,000-dwt semisubmersible with dock walls and a cargo deck of 115 x 29.2 m. The vessel has been used for the past 21 years by Cosco and continues to be a suitable solution to a wide range of heavy-lift cargoes. Coscol has decided to eventually replace the M/V Developing Road with two 11,000-dwt vessels with an advanced design that will increase the efficiency and safety of transports.
In 2001 and 2003, respectively, Coscol introduced the M/V Tai An Kou and the M/V Kang Sheng Kou into the offshore transportation market. Since then, the vessels have transported TLPs, barges, jackup rigs, flow stations, lift boats, dredgers, jackets, and topsides. In addition, Coscol completed a floatover mating for HHI for Talisman's Bunga Raya A topsides and the floatover mating for Talisman's Bunga Raya E this year.
In 4Q 2004, the M/V Tai An Kou will undergo widening in Shanghai to increase its 32.2-m beam to a permanent 36 m as part of a forthcoming project. Coscol has a willingness to invest in future projects and is dedicated to maintaining the highest of standards for quality and safety. Major oil companies have audited Coscol and have approved their vessels and crew for significant offshore projects.
With the M/V Kang Sheng Kou, the newly widened M/V Tai An Kou, and the future arrival of the "Big Sister" vessels, Coscol/NMA will be able to offer a 32-, 36-, and 42-m vessel for floatovers or more conventional transports.
