Valemax
Valemax ships are a fleet of very large ore carriers (VLOC) owned or chartered by the Brazilian mining company Vale S.A. to carry iron ore from Brazil to European and Asian ports. With a capacity ranging from 380,000 to 400,000 tons deadweight, the vessels meet the Chinamax standard of ship measurements for limits on draft and beam. Valemax ships are the largest bulk carriers ever constructed, when measuring deadweight tonnage or length overall, and are amongst the longest ships of any type currently in service.
Vale Rio de Janeiro arriving in Rotterdam in January 2012. Note fully laden hull, compared with photograph below. | |
| Class overview | |
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| Builders |
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| Operators |
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| Built |
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| In service | 2011– |
| Completed | 68 (list of ships) |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Bulk carrier |
| Tonnage | 380,000–400,000 DWT |
| Length | 360–362 m (1,181–1,188 ft) |
| Beam | 65 m (213 ft) |
| Draught | 22–23 m (72–75 ft) |
| Depth | 30 m (98 ft) |
| Installed power | Low speed diesel engine (24,600 to 33,000 kW) |
| Propulsion | Single shaft; fixed-pitch propeller |
| Speed | 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
The first Valemax vessel, Vale Brasil, was delivered in 2011. Initially, all 35 ships of the first series were expected to be in service by 2013, but the last ship was not delivered until September 2016. In late 2015 and early 2016, Chinese shipping companies ordered 30 more ships with deliveries in 2018–2020. Three additional vessels were ordered by a Japanese shipping company, bringing the total number of Valemax vessels to 68 as of 2020.