Since the inception of the Alang shipbreaking yard in 1982, a number of vessels have been scrapped here, including the controversial Blue Lady.
Global fuel price hike forces owners to sell MV Kingdom; The ship requires fuel worth Rs25lakh per day
BHAVNAGAR: Since the inception of the Alang shipbreaking yard in 1982, a number of vessels have been scrapped here, including the controversial Blue Lady.
Now, the world’s fastest passenger-cum-conventional ferry ship has sailed in. Interestingly, it is the unbearable global fuel prices that have compelled the owners of the ship to sell it.
GTS Finnjet, built in 1977 and later renamed Motor Vessel (MV) Da Vinci and MV Kingdom since it has reached the scrapping yard, is the fastest ship in the world. However, due to its enormous speed, Kingdom also guzzles fuel in good quantum.
Thus, for its owners the ship had become a headache in balancing income and expenses.
GTS Finnjet was a cruise ferry, built in 1977 by Wartsila Helsinki, Finland for Finnlines to ply between Finland and Germany. At the time of her delivery, Finnjet was the fastest, longest and largest car ferry in the world, and the only one powered by gas turbines.
She is still the fastest conventional ferry as of 2008, with a recorded top speed of 33.5 knots.
Finnjet has remained out of service since 2005, laid up in Baton Rouge, Freeport and Genoa. Although she was purchased by Club Cruise in November 2007 and renamed GTS Da Vinci in January 2008 for rebuilding into a cruise ship, the ship was sold for scrap in May 2008 and named MV Kingdom.
Jeckon International, Liberia sold Kingdom to Rishi Ship Breakers at Alang and she has completed her final voyage from Jeddah port, arriving at Alang on June 13th. According to port sources, she might touch the plot on 19th June.
Kingdom weighs 15,500 metric tonnes, with a capacity of 3,500 passengers and 325 cars. At the time of her last professional voyage, there were 178 crew members aboard.
Generally ships travel at the speed of 10 to 20 sea nautical miles, but Kingdom boasts the speed of 33.5 knots. However, to generate this extra speed, she was consuming 45 tonnes fuel every day.
According to sources, including marine diesel, lubricant oil and other fuel she requires to run her voyage at the fuel cost of Rs25 lakh per day. The ship breaker has purchased Kingdom for Rs40 crores.
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