Saudi Aramco operates one of the world's largest, most modern fleets of very large crude carriers (VLCCs) and ultra large crude carriers (ULCCs) through its wholly-owned shipping subsidiary Vela International Marine Ltd.
Vela was established in 1984 with four ships, and has since grown to include 21 VLCC and ULCCs, in addition to two refined product vessels.
Vela's tanker fleet is in the process of being upgraded, with the addition of four new 300,000 deadweight tonne tankers and a new Aframax product carrier, replacing older tankers. Each new VLCC has a capacity to transport two million barrels of crude oil.
Vela transports crude oil to North America, Europe and Asia, and last year delivered more than 1.9 million barrels per day (bpd) of oil, and 830,000 bpd of refined products and LPG to customers around the world.
The sheer size of the company's crude-carrying fleet provides beneficial economies of scale which are passed on to clients in the form of competitive shipment rates.
Running a fleet of crude oil tankers of the size of Vela International also means keeping that fleet safe and well maintained, as an accident on a tanker could, for instance, cause a major oil spill and subsequent environmental damage.
The company has a proud history of commitment to accident-free voyages and quality maintenance. It has received ISO accreditation for its safe ship operations and environmental practices.
Its global operations comply with the highest international standards of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).
The shipping industry is diverse and subject to many local and global regulations. For a company of Vela's size, these regulations cover a huge range of daily activities. The company's instruction manual includes more than 600 operational procedures, covering everything from emergency shipboard response to catering.
Vela's Marine Operations Department takes a close interest in the safety of the fleet. The company reviews and refines its already-comprehensive emergency shipboard action plans, as well as its role in supporting all concerned authorities in the event of an oil spill.
These actions, combined with shore-based support functions and industry cooperatives, form two outstanding features of Vela's International Safety Management (ISM) capabilities.
In complying with the ISM code, Vela has to demonstrate more than a dozen major areas of competence, all contained in a cohesive safety management system.
Periodic dry-docking is a requirement of all carriers expecting to maintain international government and industry certification. In the interest of accident-free operations, these requirements impose strict standards or codes with which the owners and operators must comply.
Vela was recently named best customer of last year at Arab Shipbuilding and Repair Yard (ASRY), a leading Gulf dry dock in Bahrain.
Vela supports the shipping industry-wide Condition Assessment Program (CAP) for its tankers, under which a ship's quality is rated by dividing it into its three basic components: hull (structure and plate); machinery (main and auxiliary engines plus electrical equipment and service pumps) and cargo system (piping, valves, cargo pumps, and control equipment).
Each of these three main areas receive an overall CAP rating established by the three major classification societies: American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), Det Norske Veritas (DNV) and Lloyds Register (LR).
The method of assessing each of the structural or working components of the hull, machinery and cargo systems is:
Hull
The ship must be made gas-free safe for men and safe for fire.
A set of ultrasonic thickness readings is taken of specific areas of the ship's structure. These readings are used to determine the ''as is'' steel thickness of each plate or structural component.
At least one reading per plate is taken at the point determined by the surveyors to have the most representative corrosion. These readings are later used to determine the average corrosion throughout the vessel and are used to assess the global, or overall, strength of the ship's hull.
A separate diagram is made of any local corrosion or pitting found during the survey and a narrative written about the method and quality of the repair. Both local and global hull integrity are considered when one is making the above rating. Items covered in the NDT and close-up surveys are, as a minimum: all oil tanks that are used for ballast and dedicated ballast tanks are inspected by a classification-qualified senior inspector; between 30 per cent and 50 per cent of the dedicated cargo-only tanks are completely inspected; remaining tanks are inspected generally; thickness measurements are made of the structure and plate using ultrasonic NDT in the following areas: all external deck plates; the wind/water strakes of the tanks inspected in the close-up survey; a minimum of 30 per cent of the longitudinals in the wind/water strake; a minimum of three transverse sections within half a ship's length of the mid point; all transverse and longitudinal bulkheads.
Each individual rank of the ship's internal structure is assigned a CAP grade based on the results of the NDT readings and the close-up inspection for pitting. A diagram of the thickness reading is prepared that shows the amount of deterioration found at each reading compared to its ''as built'' criteria. These diminutions are then graphed and a CAP grade assigned to each space and again for the whole ship.
Additionally, a strength calculation is done to determine by what margin a ship's hull exceeds the minimum requirements for global strength. This margin must be above the required safety tolerances by percentages deemed acceptable to the senior surveyor for the Classification Society for the assigned CAP rating.
Machinery
In the preparations for survey, the ship's main and auxiliary engines are listed with all control and monitoring equipment for development of function tests based on manufacturer's specifications.
Function tests are carried out on all main propulsion and auxiliary systems. Ship-specific equipment is added to the list if it is used to handle cargo.
Each system is test run under 80 per cent load conditions for a period of at least six to 12 hours, depending on the Classification Society rules for the test environment, with vibration monitoring readings and lube oil analysis performed on the machinery to discover any latent defects. Additionally, maintenance records are inspected to ensure that manufacturers' recommendations are being met.
Cargo systems
The preparations for survey include listing the ship's cargo equipment for development of function tests based on manufacturer's specifications.
The same function tests are performed on the ship's cargo systems as on the ship's machinery, and the CAP rating is developed in a similar manner.
The cargo systems cover the following items as a minimum: main cargo pumps and control systems; stripping pumps and control systems; cargo pipelines, on deck, in tanks and in pumproom; tank access hatches, seals and fittings; ballast: pumps and control systems; ballast pipelines in tanks and in pumproom; venting system, and monitoring controls; Inert Gas System (IGS), including scrubber, fans, monitoring and control equipment; cargo measurement controls; cargo heating systems and hydraulic systems used for valve controls.
In addition to the rigorous series of inspections and checks, all of Vela's new ships carry builders' warranties with certain adjustments made during the specified warranty period. At sea, each ship's crew performs regular inspection and maintenance routines, according to a Vela official.
