Surviving Impact With Ocean Freighter
When sailing on the East China Sea with his ship Minlong Yu in March 2015, captain Lin Xiao Dong had the SCARE of his life. While maneuvering that evening through the dark, his 30 m fishing boat was hit by a large ocean freighter. While the heavy impact ruined most of the top of his boat, fortunately the strong hull successfully protected him and his crew. The Minlong Yu was made by boat manufacturer Fujian Hongye, using resins and gelcoats from AOC.
Already in 2003 Fujian Hongye Boats Co., Ltd. manufactured the Minlong Yu (“Dragon Fishing Boat”), using Palatal® P61TV-956KR and Palatal® A400TV-957 resins from AOC, as well as Neogel® 8373 gelcoat series. This type of vessel is predominantly used for offshore aquaculture and has a dedicated design to accommodate fishing, fish cleaning and cold storage functions. This ship is fast and very light, and consequently has very low fuel consumption.
Strong and Durable
While the ship was intensively used over a 12-year period, it required only minimal maintenance. Some of the maintenance activities included cleaning of the outer surface of the hull from fouling and keeping the engines in top condition. In spite of being in continuous contact with sea water, the Minlong Yu remained in good shape and maintained great mechanical integrity.
This was put to test unexpectedly, when the back-side of the ship collided with the 180 m steel ocean freighter. The team on the Minlong Yu went through some very frightening moments, but felt relieved at last. While part of the cabin was destroyed, the hull was perfectly intact and protected all on board. After the accident the Minlong Yu was repaired and since then again, it has been in operation successfully.
“The high mechanical strength of this boat clearly avoided major injuries of the crew and myself,” comments captain Lin Xiao Dong. “I know my job has many dangers. But after having been through this accident in good shape, I feel very comfortable at sea with such a reliable vessel.”
Great Collaboration
“We know that with the resins and support of AOC, we can build fantastic ships, that are strong and can resist the sea water for many years,“ says Lin Xiaoyong, General Manager of Fujian Hongye. “We appreciate the great service and technical support we get from the AOC team. This helps us to make even better boats and keeps us competitive in delivering new products to the market.”
“AOC can build on over 30 years of local presence in China and on a strong global support infrastructure,” adds Yan Zhenghua, Marketing & Sales Director of AOC China. “While we continue to supply our customers with quality resins, we like to collaborate on new developments, working to build a healthy composites future.”
