Company Fleet Grows Along with Economy
- Pipeline
- Saudi Aramco News
- Dhahran Media
Author: Saudi Aramco Week
Released 2 March 2006
Saudi shipbuilders proudly stand in front of Zamil 13,
recently completed for Saudi Aramco at the Port of Dammam. The 64-meter, 1,300-ton vessel is the sixth built by Zamil Shipyard for Saudi Aramco. Amid the boatwrights are, from left, Abdulsalam A. Yousef, manager of Saudi Aramco's Marine Department, and two Zamil Shipyard executives.
Photographs by Stephen L. Brundage
Photograph Contributed by Saudi Aramco
PORT OF DAMMAM, SAUDI ARABIA (February 22, 2006) - The completion of Saudi Aramco's latest Marine Anchor Handling Tug Supply/Safety (AHTSS) vessel, Zamil 13, was cause for celebration recently at the Port of Dammam, when dignitaries, led by Eastern Province Governor Prince Mohammad ibn Fahd and Transportation Minister Dr. Jubarah Eid Al-Suraisri, toured the Zamil Shipyard and took part in a ceremony to mark the start of construction of four more vessels for Saudi Aramco.
"Saudi Aramco has been very active in working with all of its Industrial Services contractors through training of their personnel, extending a professional hand and creating the environment for them to grow to their potential," said Amer A. Al-Sulaim, executive director of Industrial Services.
"Zamil is but one example of the success of ISO's focus on the corporate strategic direction of contributing to the Kingdom's economy," he added.
The Dammam celebration also marked Zamil's completion of three harbor tugs for the Port of Dammam.
Three new tugboats, built for the Port of Dammam, soon will be helping to guide cargo ships into the harbor.
Photograph Contributed by Saudi Aramco
Zamil 13 appears to be a tugboat, but its official designation is AHTSS vessel. It's the sixth vessel completed at the Zamil Shipyard for Saudi Aramco. The 1,300-ton, 64-meter vessel has a variety of capabilities, from supplying offshore rigs and towing vessels to fighting fires from two monitors atop the wheelhouse, each with a flow rate of 1,500 cubic meters of water per hour.
The AHTSS vessels are unique in that they use a "powerhouse" diesel-electric propulsion system that employs four 1,820 kilowatt generators to power aft screws and bow thrusters while providing the rest of the vessel's electrical power.
Zamil 13 can perform a variety of duties, from supplying offshore rigs to firefighting.
Photograph Contributed by Saudi Aramco
Impressive as the vessels are, equally impressive is the fact they are being constructed in Saudi Arabia with a variety of Saudi craftsmen and technicians taking part, from welders and carpenters to mechanics and electricians.
Saudi Aramco is also taking an active role in helping young Saudis get the training to become seamen certified by the International Marine Organization. Upon completion of their training, the apprentices, who work for contractors, take jobs in the Gulf supporting Saudi Aramco's offshore activities or sign on to crew crude carriers plying the seas to bring energy to the world.
(Article by Stephen L. Brundage)