PONL / Maersk Ships to scrap.

[Tom]

PONL Taranaki was delivered to shipbreakers in Shanghai on 19th February.

PONL Nina is on her way to Shanghai via Panama at the moment. Due to transit Panama on approx 17th March - assuming no further engine problems (a big assumption with this ship).

No doubt others will follow as Maersk decide what ships we need in the future. One possible scrapping will be the ex Farrell Lines vessel the Argonaut. Currently operating the last FAMEX 2 service from Italy to the Middle East. Nothing confirmed yet but look a distinct possibility that she will be scrapped in the near future.

Tom

[Phil English]

Very interesting. These are the first containerships(excluding damaged/derelict ships) that have been broken up for almost two years. Interesting to note too that Maersk chose not to disclose anything to the shipping markets and must have done these deals very privately. I guess the present fuss over Clemenceau and Norway had a part to play in this.

Phil

[rd77]

Actually, P&O Nedlloyd was already targeted by Greenpeace some years ago and they have been sending their scrap ships to China since then. I believe PONL are involved with some scrapyard in China in order to scrap ships in a slightly less harmful manner. I reckon the Taranaki and Nina have probably gone to that same scrapyard...

It will be interesting to see if Maersk carries on with this project. I work at Maersk, but have heard nothing about it so far...

Brgds.

Ralph

[Phil English]

Yes, that's right Ralph. P&ONL were sending their scrap ships to China for some time and they did have an arrangement with a local shipbreaker. I'm involved with the shipping markets and I think I'm right in saying that Moller usually offload ships on the second-hand market before they're ready for the breakers yard, sometimes even taking them back on charter for a while. I certainly can't recall the last time a Maersk owned ship went for scrap.

Cheers
Phil

[Brent]

I agree with Phil that it must be a very long time since Maersk sent a vessel for scrap, like Evergreen they build most of their fleet requirements and then on-sell at 15-20 years, often with a time-charter back for anything fm 1-5 years. This would then enable lines to avoid dealing with the delicate scrapping side-issues, although the matter of asbestos has only really arisen in more recent times, long after first sale and lease-back deals were instituted.

Hard to tell by looking at them but PONL's Taranaki and Nina were built in 1980 as roll-on/roll-off sisters as Kazimierz Pulaski and Wladyslaw Sikorski. In 1993 the latter was converted to a containership and they've never looked the same since. The "Nina" was PONL's most renamed vessel, sailing under the names PONL Piraeus, Khaleej, Malacca before Nina. A charter on Australian coastal service for the "Taranaki" was recently hoped to keep her working a little longer but eventually fellover.

The Chinese shipyard at Jiangyin has certainly scrapped many well remembered PONL vessels since 2000, including the ex-Blue Star "Sydney Star" quartet, the "Resolution Bay" group, PONL Luanda ex Columbia Star / NZ Caribbean etc., and Marin ex New Zealand Mariner / Ulanga etc.

[timman61]

I wonder what is happening these days to shipping companies. Maersk are disposing ships while on January 23rd they have made a new addition to their fleet with the 1985 built Maersk Nevada ex Delaware Bay,exTyson Lykes,and ex American Ohio. :-?

[Alan M Calvert]

With the large number of new containerships entering the market during the next few years there must be an increase in the number of oldies going for scrap.Some will survive a little longer by displacing smaller ships on some routes.

Can anyone confirm which yard the Taranaki and Nina have gone to.

 :-)

[Tom]

I am not sure which yard they have gone to but I will see what I can find out when I get into work on Monday in Maersk Line's Western Operations Centre.

Having sailed on the Taranaki a few years ago when she was aquired as part of the Blue Star buyout by PONL I can't say I'm particularly sad to see her go. The quarter ramp on the stern meant that once she was deeper than a certain draft she could no longer go in a straight line but used to wander her way from side to side through the oceans. I suspect the Nina did not have the same problems once she was converted to a fully cellular vessel.

With ref to the Maersk Nevada (Delaware Bay), as far as I am aware there are no plans to dispose of this ship in the near future - especially as we have just forked out for her new paint job! Similarly, the other vessels that previously operated on the FAMEX service (Med to US East Coast)will retained and renamed shortly. I believe that the full paint job will wait until the next drydock. Those vessels are the Chesapeake Bay (sister to Delaware), and the E-Boats (Endurance, Enterprise and Endeavour. The Endurance was renamed the Maersk Maryland in Charleston and the others will follow shortly.

Anyone after other info is welcome to get in touch and I will see what I can find out for you.

Tom

[Per Sondergaard]

Hi Phil

According to my records Maersk sold 3 VLCC's built 1971-73
to scrap. Last was Romo Maersk which arrived Dalian on 18-5-1985.

[Phil English]

Thanks Buller. I knew it must have been a long time ago.

Phil