The tanker “Monte Udala”, a milestone for Navantia and Ibaizábal

The delivery of the tanker “Monte Udala”, built at the Puerto Real shipyard in Cádiz, marks a milestone in the history of Spanish shipbuilding and the public company Navantia, as it is the first to leave a national shipyard in the last twenty years. It is the first of four Suez-max type vessels contracted by Ondimar Transportes Marítimos, a company of the Ibaizábal Group controlled by Alejandro Aznar, who has made a strong commitment to the national industry at a time when competition from Asian shipyards is overwhelming.

This decision by the Basque shipowner, heir to the Aznar Shipping saga – whose password is emblazoned on the top – has generated significant workload for the Puerto Real shipyard; also for the auxiliary industry, and to a lesser extent for the Ferrol shipyard, which has built some macros that were then transported by sea to Cádiz, where they were assembled. All of this translates into considerable economic movement, benefiting not only direct jobs but also many indirect ones, as it is impressive to see everything that revolves around an activity of this type.

With this contract, the public company Navantia has returned to the construction of tankers and has done so in collaboration with the Daewoo shipyard, which acts as a technology partner, as it was agreed to adopt a proven project that meets environmental and market requirements. For this reason, the Korean firm provides the patents, technology, equipment, and shared supervision with Navantia engineers, who provide the labor for each of the processes (assembly, installation, and testing) and the delivery of the ship as a turnkey project.

In reality, this contract, signed in June 2015, is an inheritance that the current management team of Navantia has encountered, hence their caution regarding the possibility of building one or two more tankers, something that, at first glance, seems to be ruled out. Yesterday, the president of SEPI, Pilar Platero, avoided commenting on the matter, and the unions are already expressing their concern about the future of the Cádiz shipyard when the current program ends. In 2016, Navantia recorded losses of 303 million euros; a similar amount is expected in 2017, but in 2018, there is hope for a radical turnaround.

In the Cádiz press, which closely follows the evolution of the process, it is stated that Daewoo has imposed the costs of the work, and although the price of each ship is very competitive in the international market, the profitability for Navantia is in doubt. Hence, one of the non-negotiable objectives of its current president, Esteban García Vilasánchez – a technical profile man who has been in the position since April 2017, almost two years after the contract was signed – is to change the course of events, that is, to contain losses, ensure profitability through new national and foreign contracts (Saudi Arabia and Australia, among others), and modernize the factories in what has been called the Shipyard 4.0 program.

A key piece in the future of Navantia is the strategic plan, which we have already referred to in this section and which is intended to be signed before summer. The matter is significant, as highlighted by the president of SEPI, as it will allow public shipyards to gain not only in efficiency and competitiveness, which is fundamental, but also in profitability; all of this reflects the national government's commitment to strengthening Navantia as a strategic company in the national economy. This is supported by the greater international projection of the public company through strategic alliances, as well as significant contracts such as the maintenance of military vessels for the U.S. Navy and naval repairs of LNG carriers, which require high specialization.

The turnkey delivery of the tanker “Monte Udala” was celebrated yesterday at the Puerto Real shipyard with the due solemnity. The christening ceremony of construction number 540 was sponsored by Mónica Aznar, daughter of Alejandro Aznar, who performed the ritual of breaking a bottle of Spanish wine against the hull of the ship afloat, as it was built in a dry dock and not on a slipway, so there was no launching, but floating. The Puerto Real dock is one of the largest in Europe, resulting from the NABAC project and is equipped with two spectacular gantry cranes, allowing simultaneous work.

Among those present were, among others, the president of SEPI, Pilar Platero; the CEO of CEPSA Corporate, Pedro Miró, and the president of Navantia, Esteban García Vilasánchez. We must highlight the optimism and vision of Alejandro Aznar, who suggested in his speech the possibility of Navantia taking the lead in the construction of tankers and chemical carriers, which are currently held by Asian shipyards.

The new tanker enters service with CEPSA under a long-term “time charter” contract, just like the second one, for supplying the refineries in Algeciras and Huelva, while the next two will be chartered by the French company Total. The second tanker, named “Monte Urbasa”, is in an advanced stage of armament in the dock, while the third, which will be called “Monte Urquiola”, is in its early stages. However, in a short time, it will have "the shape of a ship". The workload has returned job stability to the Puerto Real shipyard, with peaks of activity of nearly three thousand workers, after several years of drought and frequent conflict.

The superstructure of the tanker “Monte Udala” has a striking maritime appearance, with white and black stripes, characteristic of other Ondimar vessels. Weighing 156,000 deadweight tons, it measures 274 m in overall length, 48 m in beam, and 23.7 m in depth. It has a cargo capacity of 175,000 cubic meters in twelve tanks and two slops and is powered by a new generation engine of 14,275 kW on a shaft, allowing it to maintain a speed of 15.5 knots at full load, with a draft of 16 m. It is registered under the special registry of Madeira (Portugal) and has accommodation for 36 crew members. The autonomy is estimated at 22,000 nautical miles and it has been assigned the IMO code 9785823.

Photo: Navantia (facebook)