A Kamsar max is a Panamax bulk carrier which is 229 metres long – four metres longer than normal. This is the maximum allowable vessel length that can be accommodated in the bauxite port of Kamsar in Guinea – thus the name.

“Four metres – that’s the key to success,” says Nikos Frantzeskakis, Chief Commercial and Operations Officer of Athens-based Quintana Maritime Ltd. “Our Kamsar maxes can load close to 63,000 tonnes of, for example, grain – a commodity accounting for much of what we move every year. The Quintana fleet comprises some 24 vessels, and the shipping line moves close to 16 million tonnes of grain a year in addition to soybeans.
“Our Kamsar maxes never go to Kamsar, and they never transport bauxite or any other materials related to aluminium production. Besides, bauxite only accounts for some three per cent of the total bulk carrier volume per year, so we leave this to those specialised in that trade.”
“But the Kamsar max vessels are perfect for our trade. As they are longer, they obviously hold more grain, they have a more shallow draft and the hull loading sequence can be improved. The higher cost of building a Kamsar max is rapidly recovered. We also transport soybeans. Our largest customer is Bunge – whose size and operations are comparable to those of Cargill,” says Stamatis Molaris, President and CEO of Quintana Maritime Ltd. “Panamax ships just cannot compete with Kamsar max vessels.”
Quintana, named after a beach in Houston, has a Q on the funnel of the vessels. “The Q stands for Quality. We never compromise on the quality of our services, and we clearly demonstrate the added value that we provide to the transportation chain. We must always justify the added value we provide, and quality and high standards are the answers to this. DNV, our preferred class, also fits into this picture,” says Molaris. “We intend to be and become a market leader within our trade areas and high quality operations coupled with the Kamsar max vessels are our ways of doing so.” Molaris ends by summing up the company’s ambitions: “We’ve not even started yet!”
Stamatis Molaris adds that Quintana is also listed on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange.
For more information, please visit www.quintanamaritime.com

Date: 05 February 2008