PACIFIC EXPLORER and PACIFIC ROVER

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aukepalmhof
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PACIFIC EXPLORER and PACIFIC ROVER

Post by aukepalmhof » Fri Aug 28, 2009 9:34 pm

A well know shipping company around the Pacific Islands and Papua New Guinea is that of the Dilmun Navigation Co Ltd. at Sydney, Australia.
This company managed or owned a fleet of small coastal tankers in that area.
This fleet was originally operated by Gray Mackenzie & Co. Ltd., a member of the British Inchcape Group, who was active in the Persian Gulf area; this company extended the services to the Pacific waters under the name Inchcape, South Pacific Marine Devision.
The Australian Howard Smith Group acquired the company in March 1989, when it consisted four tankers owned by Dilmun Navigation Co. Ltd.
The company was restyled as Dilmun Navigation Company Pty. Ltd. In 1994 the company used 6 tankers al beginning with Pacific.

The main cargoes carried by the company are petrol, diesel and dual-purpose kero on behalf of the major oil companies, like Shell, B.P. or Mobil. The oil is loaded in the larger ports and distributed around the smaller ports in the Pacific, sometimes at anchor close inshore with both anchors down and the stern secured with mooring lines to the shore. On the Tuvalu stamp you can see that the PACIFIC EXPLORER is moored with stern lines to the shore, but she has her port anchor outside the hawse pipe, that it looks she is there only with the starboard anchor down, but that is not visible, or there is a fault in the design of the stamp. The Norfolk stamp has both anchors dropt, but she is not moored with stern lines to the shore.

Two tankers of this company are depict on stamps.

PACIFIC EXPLORER built in 1973 as a tanker under yard No 375 on the Dutch yard of the Nieuwe Noord Nederlandse Scheepswerven at Groningen, for Dilmun Navigation Co., Port Vila, New Hebrides.
30 May 1973 launched.
Tonnage 954 gross, 596 net, dim. 71.94 x 11.71 x 4.17m. (draught).
One 8cyl. Deutz diesel engine, 1.320 hp., speed 12 knots.
July 1973 completed.

2003 Sold to Island Towing Ltd., Papua New Guinea, renamed ISLAND SPIRIT.
2004 Sold to Chinese breakers reported August 2004.

On the Norfolk stamp 1990 65c sg 487.
PACIFIC ROVER, built under yard No. 851 by the Koyo Dockyard Co at Mihara, Japan.
25 Jan. 1979 launched.
Tonnage 1.594 gross, 719 net, 1.963 dwt., dim. 80 x 13.3 x 4.8m. (draught).
One diesel engine, 1.340 hp., speed 12.5 knots.
2003 Sold by the Dilmun Navigation Co. to Stukita Shipping at Cyprus, renamed ROVER.
Registered under the Dominican Republic flag and still managed by Dilmun Navigation.
2005: Owned by same owner, but now also managed by Stukita Shipping, Cyprus.
Under Russian flag call sign UDZF. IMO No. 7812256.
2009 Owned by Nakhodkatanker JSC, Russia and managed by Fortune Tankers Nakhodka, Russia.
November 2011 Withdrawn from classification.
06 November 2011 arrived at Jiangyin, China and she was scrapped by Jiangyin Xiagang Changjiang.

Tuvalu 1978 40c sg88, scott80. PACIFIC EXPLORER.
Norfolk Island 1990 65c sg487, scott483. PACIFIC ROVER (The photo taken in 2004 shows her name as POSEP what is the Russian name for ROVER.)

Sources: Marine News 1994/538. http://www.equasis.org Blauwe Wimpel 1973. Marine News 200
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