A bitumen tanker damaged after a collision with a bulker five months ago is set to finish lengthy repair work by 23 January, and be back with its time charterer TotalEnergies at the firm's Donges refinery and export terminal on the French Atlantic coast on 26 January.
The 6,189dwt Iver Blessing — part of Dutch Vroon Group's Iver Ships unit — was under time charter with TotalEnergies and was offshore the French Atlantic port of Nazaire when the accident that caused serious damage to the bitumen tanker happened.
The vessel was en route to the company's 219,000 b/d Donges refinery to load its next bitumen export cargo in August 2024.
The tanker has since undergone repairs at a shipyard in Flushing, Netherlands, that had been due to last 1-2 months, but there have been repeated delays, including difficulties in obtaining replacement parts.
TotalEnergies is a key player in northwest European and Nordic bitumen cargo markets, and the prolonged repair work forced it to seek spot or other short-term tanker charters, mainly with Iver Ships, to maintain its shipping programme.
By Fenella Rhodes
