By looking for info on this miniature sheet from Namibia, with in the margin a ship I found that when the stamp was issued only one vessel was fitted out with a seabed crawler off the Namibian coast and she is the KOVAMBO, the vessel depict, all is it very difficult to see from below looks the ship as given on this photo. http://nok-schiffsbilder.de/modules/mya ... ?lid=24864
Built as a diving support ship under yard No 1245 by Oy Wärtsilä Ab, Turku, Finland for Ceta Shipping Co. Ltd, Aberdeen, U.K., operated by Swan Offshore Ltd.
Launched as the SWAN OCEAN.
Tonnage 2,194 grt, 444 nrt, 750 dwt. Dim. 77.02 17.50 x 5.71m, length bpp. 66.5m.
Powered by three Wärtsilä type 6R32 engines, 7,427 bhp, which are driving generators, which drives all the controllable pitch propellers and thrusters incorporated in the dynamic positioning system. Speed 15 knots.
Accommodation for 75 persons.
August 1979 delivered to owners.
Special built to operate in the oilfields as a diving support vessel, and she was the first of her kind built by Wärtsilä.
Fitted out with a comprehensive decompression chamber system for use with a 3man diving bell which can operate to depths of 300 meters?
Facilities are provided to take aboard manned submersibles and remote controlled underwater devices by the use of a large stern gantry.
1980 Sold to Summer Hill Investment Co. Ltd, Aberdeen, U.K not renamed.
1982 Sold to O/Y Wärtsilä A/B Turku Shipyards, Finland not renamed.
The same year sold to U.S.S.R-Arktik Morneftegazrazvedka, Murmansk,Russia and renamed SPRUT.
1994 New tonnage 2,692 grt, 808 net.
1995 Taken over by TFDS Offshore A/S Tromso/Murmansk.
1997 Under NIS registry at Tromso, renamed in KOVAMBO.
1998 Completed as a diamond mining vessel by Rickmers Lloyd Dockbetrieb, Bremerhaven, she was refitted and lengthened, dim. 92.0m, length bpp 82.0m, tonnage 3,284 grt
After her refit was completed sailed for Namibia to use her as a diamond mining vessel fitted out with a seabed crawler, and to work on the offshore diamond fields of Namibia.
When the vessel is in position she lowers the seabed crawler to the seafloor.
The seabed crawler excavates the sediment and sucking in the sediment and transported the sediment up via a pipe to the mothership, where the diamonds are recovered by an onboard sorting plant.
19 October 2006 managed by Sakawa Mining Corp. SA Pty. Ltd, Windhoek, Namibia.
20 July 2009 under Kingstown, St Vincent registry.
2013 As given by http://www.equasis.org same name, still owned by Arktikmorneftegazrazvedka OJSC, Murmansk, Russia, managed by Samicor, Windhoek, Namibia, flag unknown. IMO No 7817098.
Namibia 1998 N$2.50 sg?, scott908
Source: Marine News. And various web-sites.
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