Completed November 1982 Draft 6.5 m | Homeport Monrovia, Liberia | |
 | ||
Name Rauf Bey (2009– )
Agios Raphael (2001–09)
El Pampero (1991–01)
Gulf Grain (1982–91) Owner Karadeniz Powership Co., Istanbul, Turkey (2009– ) Operator Karadeniz Powership Co. Builder Ishibras Shipyard, Verolme Estaleiros Reunidos do Brasil, Angra dos Reis, Brazil | ||
The MV Karadeniz Powership Rauf Bey is a Liberia-flagged powership, a floating power plant, owned and operated by the Istanbul based Turkish company Karadeniz Powership Co. Built 1982 in Brazil and christened MV Gulf Grain, she sailed as a bulk carrier under various names and flags until she was acquired to be converted 2009 into a powership in Turkey. Currently, she serves in Basra, Iraq supplying electricity to the power grid there.
Contents
Cargo ship
She was built by the Ishibras Shipyard of Verolme Estaleiros Reunidos do Brasil at Angra dos Reis, Brazil as a bulk carrier in November 1982. The 241.89 m (793 ft 7 in) (LOA) long vessel has a beam of 32.20 m (105 ft 8 in) and a draft of 6.50 m (21 ft 4 in). The eight-cylinder diesel engines of Type K8 SZ 70/150CL manufactured by Mecânica Pesada Sao Paulo in Brazil give a total power of 17,960 hp (13,390 kW) propelling the vessel at 14.0 knots (25.9 km/h; 16.1 mph). By 75,485 DWT, she has a cargo capacity of 41,449 GT.
She saw service under the names Gulf Grain, El Pampero and Agios Raphael before she was sold in June 2009 to the Turkish Powership Company based in Istanbul.
Powership
The originally bulk carrier was converted into a powership and renamed Karadeniz Powership Rauf Bey. The vessel is registered under the Liberian flag with homeport Monrovia.
In August 2010, the powership with 180 MW generation power set sail to Basra, Iraq to bridge electricity shortage for about one million people in and around Az Zubayr. At that time, she was considered as the "biggest powership of the world". Another powership of the fleet, the MV Karadeniz Powership Doğan Bey, has been already serving with 126 MW in the same region of Iraq.