At their meeting of 28th May the Rotary Club of Anstruther heard from club member and ship’s master Ian McBain. Ian’s talk was about the new oil exploration ship ‘Stena Icemax’ – a vessel that is world-class in its ability to operate in harsh conditions. Stena Icemax is registered in Aberdeen and is chartered to Royal Dutch Shell for 5 years. It is the world’s first ice-class, dual mast, ultra deepwater drillship for Arctic conditions and is the most expensive non-passenger vessel ever constructed.

With a displacement of 98,000 tonnes, an overall length of 228m and a breadth of 42m, the unit is capable of drilling to a depth of 10,000 feet and to 35,000 feet in total. Accommodation is provided for 180 people. Named by Brenda Stewart, wife of David Stewart of Royal Dutch Shell, Stena Icemax was constructed at Samsung’s Geoje shipyard in South Korea using extra thicknesses of special low-temperature steel to withstand ice pressure and temperatures down to -30 degrees C.

Ian, who captained the vessel from Korea and into service explained that, whilst not built for speed, the ship is both powerful and maneuverable, having 3 thrusters at the front and 3 at the rear; each able to turn through 360 degrees. The ship’s engines develop a total of 48,000 horsepower.  
After many questions Ian was thanked for a most interesting talk by Rotary club president Derek Mathie.