NBP concludes 15-year contract for new bulk carrier

NYK Bulk & Projects Carriers Ltd. an NYK Group company, has agreed to a contract with Baja Bulk Carriers S.A., which is a joint venture between the Mitsubishi Corporation and the Mexican government, for a 15-year charter of a newly built bulk carrier specialized to transport salt. The new bulker will be delivered in August 2014.

The vessel is being built by Oshima Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., and the capacity of the ship will be extended beyond the typical 60,000 DWT by extending the vessel's length by 9 meters.

Furthermore, the vessel will have additional equipment for cargo handling - including two mobile cranes, a belt conveyor, a boom conveyor, and a hopper - to meet requirements fully at the discharging port. The vessel will also have an eco-ship structural design and will come equipped with an advanced electronically controlled engine.

The vessel will shuttle salt to the west coast of North America from a salt field business in Mexico. The salt is used in a wide range of industries, including as a raw material in sodium hydroxide and chlorine in the soda industry, and for road deicing. < Korea Shipping Gazette >