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An image of the polar ship that STX Europe will build for the South African National Antarctic Program / Courtesy of STX |
By Kim Hyun-cheol
Staff Reporter
STX Group announced Wednesday it has won a 116 million euro ($173.3 million) deal to build a research vessel for the South African government.
Construction of the multi-purpose icebreaker will be started in September next year and completed in 2012 at STX Finland's Rauma yard in southwest Finland, the company said. The shipbuilder, part of STX Europe, has three yards in Finland, located in Turku and Helsinki as well as Rauma.
The 134-meter-long vessel, which will replace the country's aging SA Agulhas ship, will be able to accomodate some 45 crew members and 100 passengers. It will also have a landing area for two Puma-class helicopters, and will feature laboratories, a gym, a library and a small hospital.
Scientists for the South African National Antarctic Program will conduct research on the ship, which will serve as a supply vessel, research vessel, icebreaker, expedition vessel and passenger ship for the three remote stations ― Marion Island, Gough Island and a South African National Antarctic Expedition (SANAE) base ― in Antarctica.
Missions of the vessel will include recording weather data of the region for meteorological institutions worldwide.
South Africa expected the deal to be helpful in fostering its Antarctic program.
"The new ship, apart from its supply function, will be a catalyst to rebuild the deep-sea oceanography capacity in South Africa," Henry Valentine, director of Antarctica and Islands at the South African Department of Environmental Affairs, was quoted as saying in a statement.
"This will also attract participation of international scientists and researchers, thus significantly contributing to research projects, including climate change research."
In the worldwide shipbuilding industry, STX has been steadily acquiring deals. Last month, STX Finland delivered the world's largest cruise liner to Royal Caribbean.
The $1.5 billion Oasis of the Seas has 2,700 cabins that can accommodate up to 8,500 passengers.
With the market for commercial ships steeply dwindling, the shipbuilder is focusing on niche markets such as marine plants and special-purposed ships.
STX Europe won deals for three towing icebreakers and a helicopter carrier vessel in April, and last month added another for a platform supply vessel, a specially-designed ship-to-supply offshore oil platform.
An affiliate of the group, STX Pan Ocean, won three contracts for three vessels with the Agency for Defense Development, worth 43 billion won in total.
The deal shows the company's technical edge in the industry, said STX Finland President Martin Landtman in a statement. There will be more good news to come regarding off-shore and special-purpose ships this year, he added.
hckim@koreatimes.co.kr
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