Olíudreifing’s new vessel arrived in Reykjavik Harbour after a journey of 4,200 nautical miles from its place of construction in the Akdeniz shipyard in Adana, Turkey. The vessel was named Keilir, the same name as that of the Company’s vessel built in China in 2002. Keilir will replace M/T Laugarnes, which has been owned by Olíudreifing since 1998. An agreement on the construction of a new vessel was signed in Reykjavík on 16 January 2018. Keilir was built according to the shipyard’s design, the 5th ship to be built according to this blueprint. Keilir is also the fourth tanker vessel to be built for Icelandic operations. Previously, Stapafell I and Stapafell II had been built for Olíufélagið and Skipadeild Sambandsins, and the previous Keilir for Olíudreifing in Shanghai in 2002. A total of eleven oil tankers have been owned by Icelanders, excluding boats.

The latest development in security matters was a primary focus during the building of the ship. The new Keilir has great improvements in everything concerning safety in marine transport of fuel, as compared to Laugarnes. These include a double bottom and shell plating, two main engines with two rudders and screws, which provides great security in difficult circumstances, e.g. in the event of a failure of a main engine, as the ship can easily be sailed using the power of one main engine. All navigation is more efficient and safer with two propellers, as opposed to a single propeller system. The ship is also equipped with a powerful bow thruster and firefighting equipment, which further increases the ship’s safety. There is heating equipment in all eight tanks, which are painted with an epoxy paint system from Hempels. There are also washing machines to wash cargo tanks. There are eight Svanehoj pumps in the ship, one in each tank.

Keilir is a much more efficient ship than Laugarnes, as evidenced by its increased cargo capacity and enormous boost in pumping performance, up to fourfold in cargo transport, plus increased running speed. The ship has four one-man cabins with toilets and entertainment facilities. The ship has fully equipped cooking facilities and a dining room. The ship's bridge is equipped with all the navigation equipment considered essential today. All management during loading and unloading of fuel takes place on the ship's bridge. From there it is possible to control the pumping equipment and monitor pumping performance and quantity.
The construction of Keilir is proof of the known fact that the quality and dependability of shipbuilding and other construction work depends on the extent of preparation before construction begins and how important it is to perform diligent monitoring during the project period. The success of Keilir’s construction was largely due to these factors, along with the professional selection of shipyard. Gunnar Jónsson supervised the ship’s construction from the first stages and until the ship’s delivery. Gunnar was assisted by Einar A Kristinsson and Hermann Haraldsson from NAVIS, who visited the construction site regularly. Knut Furuheim from X advisors in Sandefjörd, whose previous work has included supervising shipbuilding for the Norwegian Transport Administration, was also hired to monitor and select electrical equipment. Gunnar also received assistance from Olídreifing employees Árni Ingimundarson, Auður Birgisson and Grétar Mar Steinarsson.

Schedules were reasonably maintained. Only one year passed from the signing of the contract for Keilir’s construction and until the ship was delivered in Adana. All our communications with the staff of Akdeniz during the whole construction period were excellent, which is invaluable.