Sattha Bhum
A grand naming ceremony was held at Keppel Terminal in Singapore on the 25th of August to name the Sattha Bhum. She is the 42nd ship and newest addition to Regional Container Lines' (RCL) fleet.
As gathered dignitaries and honored guests watched, at approximately 17:15 local time Mrs. Kuah Boon Wee made a brief speech and cut a red ribbon releasing a bottle of champagne. With a rainbow of pomp and confetti floating through the air, the bottle burst against the gleaming hull and a banner dropped to reveal Sattha Bhum in huge, white letters across the hull.
A traditional Chinese Lion Dance was then performed on stage to bring good luck and prosperity to the Sattha Bhum, her owners and crew.
History
The Sattha Bhum has become a historically significant ship even before making her first voyage. She is the last ship to be built at the Stocznia Gdynia shipyard in Poland and she is also the final ship in a series of 22 sisters. Since 1922, Stocznia has been producing ships but the recent economic downturn and increasing competition from Asia has brought the yard into significant financial difficulty. Currently, the yard is being consigned into 31 lots and sold piecemeal to the highest bidders.
The 22 ship series was started in 1999 with the Elbwolf, now sailing as the Ibn Khaldoun. All ships in the series were designated a design number 8184 followed by their order in the series. The Sattha Bhum, 8184/22, was originally built for Polaris Ship Management (Isle of Man) for Rickmers Reederei. Before completion, the ship was bought by Regional Container Lines and finished as the Sattha Bhum.
Vital Statistics
Name(s): | Sattha Bhum |
| IMO: | 9240330 |
| Call Sign: | 9VPQ2 |
| Builder: | Stocznia Gdynia (Poland) |
| Yard Number: | 8184/22 |
| Delivery: | 3-Jun-09 |
| Gross Tonnage: | 32,060 |
| TEU: | 2732 total; 1200 under deck, 1532 above in 6 layers (500 reefer) |
| Length: | 211m (692 ft) |
| Beam: | 32.3m (106 ft) |
| Draft: | 12m (39 ft) |
| Crew: | 19 |
| Engines: | 1 x Man B&W 7S70MC-C, producing 21,178 Kw (28,400 Hp) |
| Thrusters: | 1 bow |
| Speed: | 19 knots cruising (max 21.6 knots) |
Design
Compared to Chinese built container ships of similar size, the Sattha Bhum might be considered luxurious. It is the small touches in the finishing of the ship that defines her European lineage. Some examples of this are the handrails of the main stairwell which are all covered in polished wood. The officers cabins complete with wall to wall carpeting with furniture made of brightly colored fabrics and natural woods. Certainly not ostentatious, the Sattha Bhum is a beautiful ship in her own right built with quality and longevity in mind.
Below is a photo showing the front third of the officer's lounge. There are two other similar seating arrangements in the near and far corners of the room in addition to; a TV, DVD player and Karoke machine.
The ship has an Owner's Suite which consists of a master bedroom, lounge/office, second bedroom and master batch. The photo below is of the master bedroom.
To really appreciate the design of the Sattha Bhum, one must visit the engine room and consider the layout from an engineer's perspective. Being a brand new ship, she is of course, spotless. You would need a magnifying glass to uncover any misplaced grease or oil - not a smudge to be found. The brilliance of the design is in the layout and use of space. The engine room is cavernous with ample room to maneuver around any piece of heavy machinery. On this ship, you will not find an engineer wedged against a wall furious fighting to mate a spanner to a bolt. Whether it is the generators, oil filters or incinerator, all components can be reached easily. Another surprising feature of the engine room is the use of air-conditioning within the machine shop and storage areas. No doubt a welcome feature for those hard working crew members down below.
Capable of delivering over 28,000 horsepower, the Sattha Bhum's heart is a 4 story MAN B&W 7 cylinder diesel engine. The photo below gives a view of top quarter of the engine and manifold.
As part of the total power plant package for the Sattha Bhum, she has 4 identical 6 cylinder diesel generators that provide on-board electrical power. Below is the number 1 generator located aft of the main engine on the starboard side.
Current Outlook
Smothered by 5 massive container cranes, the Racha Bhum below is nearly an exact sister of the Sattha Bhum. Visiting Keppel Terminal in Singapore on the same day as the naming ceremony, the Racha Bhum is also a recent addition to the RCL family, only 1 year older than her sister.
Regional Container Lines is Thailand's largest publicly traded shipping company. RCL has grown from 1 ship in 1979 to 42, a short 30 years later. With the economy starting to show signs of recovery, RCL is positioning itself well with a proactive view on the future feeder capacity requirements for Asia. All indicators are bright for RCL's future and the recent increase in their stock price shows confidence and backing from the investment community.
To see more images of Sattha Bhum in Singapore, visit our gallery here.
Special Thanks
We would like to thank Hartwig Schulze-Eckardt, Captain Sutep Tranantasin, Kenneth Chiu and Margaret Lau of RCL for their temendous hospitality, kindness and for making us feel like family. We would also like to thank Thies Lau (of Rickmers Trust), Captain Sriwat Jatupol (of the Sattha Bhum) and Chief Engineer Kliangchan Pornthep (from the Racha Bhum) for organizing an extensive tour of the engine room. Clayton Shipping would also like to express their extreme gratitude to all of the people at RCL who organized the naming ceremony and tour of the ship. We wish RCL the best of luck, prosperity and success!
A very special thank you to Lars Jessen, for his help in making this article possible.