Maiden visit

Ships of the German BBC Chartering & Logistics company tend to handle a lot of project cargo and are not often seen in South African ports, although their visits are not unknown – remember the ill-fated arrival on the coast last year of BBC China. So when one of the company’s newbuilds calls to not only load bunkers but also work some cargo (machinery) while still on her maiden full voyage, there’s cause to take note and commemorate the occasion, which is what happened in Durban last week.
The guest of honour was BBC Plata, a new general cargo ship delivered from the Chinese Jianging shipyard in March and which has since made calls to load cargo in China, Japan and India while en route to Brazil, with another stop in Durban along the way. The 138m long, 9618-gt ship has a fairly shallow draft of 8m and carries two large 120-tonne cranes on deck to handle heavy equipment in the holds or deck cargo, but can also carry up to 665 20ft containers. She has a service speed of 15.2 knots.
While in Durban Captain Brian Hawkins, MD of Mainport Africa, BBC’s agent in South Africa, made the most of the opportunity by hosting a small gathering on board, which included FTW.