September 27 - The keel for the 50,000 dwt semi-submersible vessel Finesse has been laid in Guangzhou Shipbuilding International (GSI)'s Qidong shipyard, China where GSI is constructing both the Forte and the Finesse for Fairstar Heavy Transport.
Willem Out, Fairstar's chief operating officer, commented from Qidong: "With the Forte now afloat at the quayside, the Finesse is now underway in the drydock. 240 blocks of the 272 total required for this design have been constructed and delivered to the shipyard. GSI is already ahead of the scheduled time that was required to produce the same amount of blocks for the Forte.
"We continue to be impressed with the quality of material, the professional organisation and the close spirit of cooperation we experience every day with GSI.
"We are mindful of the additional challenges now posed by having two ships under construction simultaneously. However we are certain that GSI has the necessary resources to finish both the Forte and Finesse on schedule. We look forward to inviting our shareholders to witness the floatation of the Finesse out of the dock in 2012."
