Two Vessels Delivered Consecutively! Century-Old Wuhu Shipyard Marks a New Delivery Cadence

Recently, the company successfully completed the delivery of two 18,500 DWT chemical tankers in succession.

Specifically, the FARRIE RUSS, tailor-made for the British shipowner Union Maritime Limited, was delivered first. The following day, the WESTERN DAHLIA, built for the Hong Kong shipowner EGPN, completed its delivery signing. Delivering two vessels in two consecutive days fully demonstrates the steady enhancement of our company's batch construction capability for high-end chemical tankers.

Delivery of the 18,500 DWT Chemical Tanker FARRIE RUSS

This vessel is the fourth unit in the UML project. Her sister vessel, the FRANKIE RUSS, was successfully delivered earlier in September.

The FARRIE RUSS has a length overall of 149.8 meters, a length on waterline of 145.3 meters, and a moulded depth of 12.7 meters. It has a design speed of 14 knots and a cargo tank capacity of 21,000 cubic meters. The vessel is equipped with 6 pairs of cargo oil tanks and associated ballast tanks, features Ice Class IB navigation capability, and meets the requirements for unrestricted navigation, including compliance with the EU, US, and other Emission Control Areas (ECAs).

The vessel stands out for its outstanding green energy efficiency. It is equipped with a controllable pitch propeller (CPP) and a shaft generator system, along with a pitch and RPM optimization system. Under sailing conditions, power can be supplied solely by the main engine, effectively reducing fuel consumption. The main engine is methanol dual-fuel retrofit-ready and equipped with an SCR system to meet IMO Tier III emission requirements. A PSD energy-saving duct is installed at the stern, and a foundation for rotor sails is reserved. The cargo tank bulkheads utilize high-end MARINE Line specialized coatings, offering excellent cargo compatibility. These multiple low-carbon designs create greater value for the client's long-term operations.

During the construction phase, drawing on the experience from the previous three sister vessels, the project team aimed at maximizing slipway construction and achieving optimal launch completeness. They coordinated the collaborative efforts of various disciplines, including hull, marine machinery, electrical, coating, and quality control, advancing a large amount of quay outfitting work to the slipway stage. Meanwhile, compared with previous vessels in the series, the efficiency from launch to delivery for this vessel has improved by over 30%. Subsequent vessels in the series are expected to further optimize the delivery pace on this basis.

The WESTERN DAHLIA is an 18,500 DWT high-end oil/chemical tanker. Aligning with the global trends of low-carbon, high-efficiency, and low-cost shipping, it breaks through the configuration limitations of vessels of the same tonnage with a refined, human-centric, and energy-efficient engine room design. The vessel features a Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) tank capacity of up to 532 m³ and a Marine Gas Oil (MGO) tank capacity of 219 m³. This dual-tank combination is at a leading level among 18,500 DWT vessels of the same class, achieving ultra-long endurance with its massive fuel capacity. The main engine is the mainstream high-end MAN B&W 6S40ME-C9.5-HPSCR intelligent electronically-controlled low-speed engine, standardly equipped with a High-Pressure SCR system. It adopts a vertical integrated layout of the mixing pipe, fully complying with the IMO Tier III—the highest international emission standard for ships—and meeting navigation requirements for all global Emission Control Areas (ECAs). To address the industry pain points of traditional vessels—such as narrow space, difficult operation, low maintenance efficiency, and high labor costs for generator set cylinder overhauls—the vessel innovatively adopts a locally sunken engine room layout for the generator sets. This human-centric design thoroughly resolves the common problems among same-tonnage vessels of "compact equipment, restricted maintenance, and difficult cylinder overhauls."

The vessel's construction and commissioning efficiency has been significantly improved. With early-stage equipment properly installed in place and strict implementation of quality control for traditional processes as well as internal and external inspection standards, the overall completeness of the engine room is outstanding, and the commissioning period was advanced by approximately half a month compared to the overall plan. Meanwhile, thanks to the scientific coordination and concerted efforts of the entire project team, the full-tank coating application in the specially coated cargo tanks was completed with high quality 5 days ahead of schedule.

With the successful delivery of these two vessels, the subsequent ships in the 18,500 DWT chemical tanker series have entered a rhythm of continuous advancement and seamless progression. Guided by the Long March spirit of "accumulating small victories into a major victory" and with the relentless perseverance of continuous endeavor, the century-old Wuhu Shipyard will continue to deliver premium, first-class vessels to shipowners, making its century-old brand shine even brighter with every delivery.