2024-08-20 13:13:33
The generator ship set off for Ecuador before the government launched the tender for its contract and is about to arrive, although the contract has not yet been signed.
The power generation barge of the Turkish company Karpowership (KPS), called KPS EMRE BEY, set sail from Istanbul (Turkey) bound for Ecuador on June 16, 2024 and was scheduled to arrive at the Port of Guayaquil on July 17, although it has remained outside the Strait of Panama since July 14.
That is, the electricity-generating ship began its journey to Ecuador even before the Government launched the international tender for its contract, which took place between June 22 and 23, 2024. And it was en route before being awarded and its contract was signed.
The route taken by the ship so far is recorded in Marine Traffic, a ship locator that shows, in real time, the location of all vessels that have an AIS (Automatic Identification System) device.
According to information from Marine Traffic, the Turkish ship passed the coast of Greece on June 20 and on June 24 it crossed the Strait of Gibraltar, between Spain and Morocco, and left the Mediterranean Sea towards the Atlantic.
On July 8, the ship began the process of entering the Panama Canal. It crossed the canal on July 14, and has not left Panamanian waters in the Pacific Ocean since then.
According to information from another ship tracker, Vesselfinder, “the KPS vessel is heading to the port of Guayaquil, Ecuador, sailing at a speed of 0.2 knots” and was initially expected to arrive there “on July 17 at 12:00 hours.”
“The KPS EMRE BEY (IMO 9216626, MMSI 636022715) is a Ro-Ro cargo ship built in 2001 (23 years old) and currently sailing under the flag of Liberia,” Vesselfinder adds.
Barge set sail at its own risk, says government
Energy Minister Antonio Gonçalves confirmed to PRIMICIAS on July 10 that the Russian company Karpowership had already won the contract, but said that the contract (as of that date) had not yet been signed.
Asked why the ship sailed to Ecuador before the contract was awarded, Gonçalves said that “that (the trip) was at the contractor’s expense and risk. When you ask for something (in a tender), you say how many days you are going to take (…) and you know that if you are close you have more opportunities (to win).”
The tender was launched with a reference price of USD 173 million. The Government has not yet made official the final award price or the rate per kilowatt/hour that the country will pay to Karpowership. PRIMICIAS confirmed that as of July 17, 2024, the contract had not been signed.
The barge will generate electricity using fuel oil and will be connected to the Las Esclusas sector in the coastal city of Guayaquil.
This barge must be operational by September 30, 2024, according to the tender rules. Celec hopes to contract at least 110 megawatts in this type of floating solutions.
Barge was assembled a month ago
According to a report by Turkish journalist Nurgül Berzah, who writes for a news platform specializing in the maritime industry and issues related to shipping and energy, Karpowership converted the Ro-Ro cargo ship into an electricity generating vessel.
The task was carried out by Sedef Shipyard, one of the largest shipyards in Turkey. The work was completed in June 2024 and “the floating power plant named Karadeniz Powership Emre Bey set off for its new workplace,” Berzah adds.
By: PRIMICIAS