For the Centenary of the discovery of diamonds in Namibia, Namibia issued a Souvenir Sheet in 2008.
Only one stamp on the sheet is interesting for the ship stamp collector which shows us the diamond mining ship GARIEP 1.
Built as crane ship under yard No 413 by Nippon Kokan K.K. (NKK Corp.), Shimizu, Japan for YS Ocean 300 S.A. Panama.
10 August 1983 launched as the SHINSHO 300.
Tonnage 5,801 grt, 1,740 net, 5,939 dwt. Dim. 100.51 x 24.57 x 5.519m. (draught).
Powered by two Hanshin oil engines, 4,000 hp. geared with flexible coupling & reverse reduction geared to single shaft. Speed 9.5 knots.
Equipped with a moonpool , see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_pool
Originally equipped with one 300 ton crane.
November 1983 delivered to owners.
1987 Sold to Yorigami Maritime Construction C, Ltd, Japan and renamed SHINSHO MARU.
1991 Sold to Nomura Maritime Corp., Panama (Odin Marine Services (UK) Ltd. managers) renamed VOYAGER 1.
Her work was mainly as a support ship in offshore oilfield installations.
1999 Sold to De Beers Marine Pty. Ltd. , Cape Town, South Africa and renamed GARIEP 1. Conversion to a mining vessel. Tonnage 5,906 grt.
20 November 2002 she sailed from Cape Town and arrived 23 November by the British shipyard of A&P Tyne for lengthening and conversion from a Horizontal Drill Mining Vessel in a Vertical Drill Diamond Mining Vessel.
She was lengthened by a 350 tonne mid-body section with a length of 12.8m. A 35 metre high drilling tower was installed with associated mining systems.
Tonnage 8,471 grt, 5,939 dwt. dim. 111.0m, length bpp. 107,8m.
After completing in 2003 she sailed for Namibia where she is used for diamond mining off the coast of Namibia.
2013 In service as given by http://www.equasis.org , owned by debmarine, Windhoek, Namibia, IMO No 8307703, under Namibia flag. Homeport Luderitz, Namibia.
Namibia 2008 2 N$ sg?, scott?