Saudi Aramco Unveils Latest Double - Hull Supertanker

OKPO, Republic of Korea - Vela International Marine Ltd.’s Homam Star, the fourth double-hull very large crude carrier (VLCC) ordered from Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering, entered service Dec. 29 after a naming ceremony at the South Korean shipyard.



Mazen Snobar, Saudi Aramco’s executive director of Industrial Services and Vela board member, presided over the naming ceremony.



The ceremony was attended by more than 55 guests, including Daewoo Shipbuilding senior executive vice president W.K. Ki, Vela Technical and Support Department manager Saud Bukhari and project site manager Khalid Alhammad.



Mohammed S. Al-Gusaier, Vela president and CEO, said the Homam Star is the last VLCC to be built by Vela under the single-hull replacement program, which started in 2000.



It is built to the latest shipbuilding rules and regulations and to Vela’s standards of safety, reliability and the environment, he said.



Similar to its sister vessels, the Homam Star is built with many fuel-saving and emissions-reduction features, including the main engine power plant shaft generator, clean notation and the sludge-conditioning system.



The vessel sailed from Daewoo shipyard heading to Saudi Arabia on Dec. 30.



Employees of Vela and Saudi Aramco gather at the naming ceremony of the Homam Star, the latest and last VLCC to be built under the single-hull replacement program.