326
November 2005

Shipbuilding: On Time and On Budget

Paul Bauwens with a new ship being finished-up by his
sub-contractors alongside at the G.S.P. Projects quay.

Many of the inland vessels in Holland and Belgium are single owner-operator businesses. The owner’s expertise is primarily in navigating the rivers and canals and maintaining his or her vessel. When it comes to building a new vessel at a competitive price and on a predictable schedule, some will turn to a company like G.S.P. projects of Antwerp for help.

Paul Bauwens of G.S.P. Projects spent 16 years navigating his own vessel on the inland waterways and is still an owner. For the past three years he was worked ashore acting as master contractor for owners wanting a new vessel. “I coordinate that contractors for a quick delivery of a turn-key-vessel at a reasonable cost,” he explains, “but every ship is unique. First I talk with the owner to go over the details of their new vessel, then I prepare a single price. The owner can do this himself but he will end up paying more and taking longer.”

Bauwens will also help design the systems for the new ship so that they conform with the multitude of regulations laid down by the Rhine states of Germany, Holland and Belgium for vessels operating in their waters. For example it is required that noise levels in the sleeping areas on an inland waterway vessel not exceed 60 decibels or 70 decibels in the accommodations. “The Cummins engines are known for their quiet operation,” he says, “but the owners also prefer them as the high speed engines produce less vibration.”

In July and October of 2005 G.S.P. delivered a pair of sister-ships to a pair of brothers-in-law. The Bosco and Taormina are each 135 x 11.45 meters with a 3,400-tonne cargo capacity so come under a set of regulations that require considerable redundancy. To that end they are powered by a pair of Cummins KTA38 engines rated for 1300 HP each at 1800 RPM. The mains turn a pair of 1.7-meter propellers through ZF W5200 gear-boxes with 5.452:1 reduction. There is also redundancy in the bow thrusters with a pair of 465 HP Cummins KTA19 M2 engines each powering a directional bow thruster with four ducts. The bow thrusters are offset so that they can work simultaneously without starving each other of water. The sisterships also each have three Cummins-powered auxiliary gen sets.

These large and complex vessels will typically require about 16 sub-contractors to finish the pre-built hull. The organization and scheduling of these various trades can get complex. In November, the firm had two hulls alongside at their location on a U-shaped harbour area surrounded by the full range of marine contractors making for quick and easy access. While 2005 has been a busy year, 2006 promises even more work with six vessels planned and one more already scheduled for 2007.

For further information contact:

Paul Bauwens
G.S.P. Projects
Binnenvaartcentrum kok 138
Boterhamvaartweg 2
B-2030 Antwerpen, België
Phone: +32 3 541 1961
Fax: + 32 3 213 3049
Mobile:+ 32 475 44 9635
E-mail: gsp.projects@binnenvaartonline.be
URL: www.gsk-gsp.be

Sander Snoek
Cummins Holland B.V.
PO box 520-3000 AM Dordrecht
Galvanistraat 35-3316 GH Drodrecht
The Netherlands
Phone: +31 (0) 78 6181 200
Fax: +31 (0) 78 6176 579
Mobile: +31 (0) 6 5129 9353
E-mail: sander.snoek@cummins.com

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