DSME's 'Bow Pioneer' revived

Ko Jae-ho, right, CEO of Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME), smiles with former Odfjell Chairman Bernt Daniel Odfjell, second from right, and DSME’s first CEO Hong In-ki, second from left, at DSME’s main shipyard in the provincial city of Okpo, Tuesday. / Courtesy of DSME

By Kim Yoo-chul

Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) said Tuesday the name Bow Pioneer, that of the first ship manufactured by the company, has been reused after 34 years for the same shipowner.

The DSME said it held a ceremony Monday to name the 75,000 dead weight tons (DWT) vessel at its main shipyard in the local provincial city of Okpo.

A shipowner in Norway ― Odfjell ― ordered the DSME to build the chemical tanker in 2010. DSME’s CEO Ko Jae-ho and top executives of Odfjell and family members attended the event. The ship was designed to deliver petrochemical products.

The DSME said the Bow Pioneer has meaning beyond its name and is the symbol of a trusting bilateral corporate partnership.

The bilateral partnership dates back to September 1979, the year the DSME won its first order from Odfjell Tanker ― previously known as Skibs A/S Storli ― to build a 22,500 DWT chemical tanker. That tanker’s name was Bow Pioneer.

The DSME said Odfjell asked it to name the new vessel Bow Pioneer to celebrate their partnership and vision to lead the global market.

``Odfjell wants to celebrate our partnership. That’s why family members of Odfjell including former chairman Bernt Daniel Odfjell participated in the naming ceremony,’’ a DSME spokeswoman said.

"History tells everything. Chairman Bernt ordered us to build the tanker, although the DSME has no history to deliver qualified vessels with on-time delivery at that time. The 25,000 DWT chemical tanker paved the way for us to open a new chapter in DSME’s shipbuilding history,’’ said the spokeswoman.

"We are so happy to see another Bow Pioneer. DSME saw the past with the Pioneer and now we are seeing the future with the Pioneer,’’ Ko said.

Shares of DSME soared by 4.55 percent to end at 26,450 won on the local bourse, Tuesday.