TBS takes delivery of first of 6 new ships

TBS takes delivery of first of 6 new ships    TBS International Ltd. said Wednesday it has taken delivery in China of a new 34,000 multipurpose tweendecker.
   The Rockaway Belle was built by Nantong Yahua Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., and is the first in a series of ships being built at a cost of $35.4 million each. The ships have box-shaped holds, open hatches and fully retractable hydraulic tweendecks, and are geared with 35- and 40-ton cranes, combinable to lift up to 80 tons. The company said fuel-efficient engines enable the vessel to operate effectively at 15 knots. TBS expects delivery of the next four vessels in 2010 and the last vessel in 2011.
   With the delivery of Rockaway Belle, TBS’s fleet expands to 48 vessels with an aggregate capacity of 1.43 million dwt. It has 25 tweendeckers and 23 handymax and handysize bulk carriers.