In the second half of the 1960s tried the Dutch shipyard Kon. Mij. De Schelde at Vlissingen to get orders from the Ethiopian government for building floating dry docks, workshops and even a floating fertilizer plant, all part of the intended development of Eritrea.(1)
One possible tender was to build a floating fertilizer plant with an initial capacity of 50.000 tons of urea per annum. In a letter dated 1 November 1967 written by the Dutch shipyard to the Nederlandsche Credietverzekering Maatschappij N.V. [an insurance company] was this fertilizer discussed. She would have a value of 20 million Dutch guilders and for which an insurance was needed. In a second letter dated 6 December were more details supplied of this plant designed by the shipyard. In fact is was a pontoon with as dimensions 85 x30 x 2,5 metres on and in which the plant was built. The fertilizer (urea) was using naphtha oil as base transported over sea in monthly quantities of around 4.000 tons. The pontoon was fitted out with holds for storing naphtha and the produced fertilizer. Thanks to a conveyor belt could the fertilizes be easily unloaded. Furthermore was the pontoon fitted out with her own electric power source and a water desalinisation device.
A floating fertilizer plant had important benefits like none dependence on land transport facilities of the naphtha and even more important an enormous reduce of the transport problems of large quantities of fertilizer and/or over large distances. After some months was the plant towed to a new location like a harbour or a bay. Eritrea with her long coastline and a stretched out but narrow agricultural area was ideal for using such a movable plant and the Ethiopians were pleased with the concept. Furthermore could the plant direct be used after the arrival in Ethiopia. There was no need for assembling while she was built and tested in the Netherlands. In May 1968 the plant is still mentioned in a telegram but due lacking further correspondence I’m yet no able to trace more details.
Note
1. Since 1952 formed Ethiopia and Eritrea a federation. The decision of the Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie to dissolve in 1962 the federation caused the Eritrean War of Independence.
Source
Archive Kon. Mij. De Schelde (Gemeentearchief Vlissingen) inventory numbers 214:1, 13, 20, 233 en 1803.
One possible tender was to build a floating fertilizer plant with an initial capacity of 50.000 tons of urea per annum. In a letter dated 1 November 1967 written by the Dutch shipyard to the Nederlandsche Credietverzekering Maatschappij N.V. [an insurance company] was this fertilizer discussed. She would have a value of 20 million Dutch guilders and for which an insurance was needed. In a second letter dated 6 December were more details supplied of this plant designed by the shipyard. In fact is was a pontoon with as dimensions 85 x30 x 2,5 metres on and in which the plant was built. The fertilizer (urea) was using naphtha oil as base transported over sea in monthly quantities of around 4.000 tons. The pontoon was fitted out with holds for storing naphtha and the produced fertilizer. Thanks to a conveyor belt could the fertilizes be easily unloaded. Furthermore was the pontoon fitted out with her own electric power source and a water desalinisation device.
A floating fertilizer plant had important benefits like none dependence on land transport facilities of the naphtha and even more important an enormous reduce of the transport problems of large quantities of fertilizer and/or over large distances. After some months was the plant towed to a new location like a harbour or a bay. Eritrea with her long coastline and a stretched out but narrow agricultural area was ideal for using such a movable plant and the Ethiopians were pleased with the concept. Furthermore could the plant direct be used after the arrival in Ethiopia. There was no need for assembling while she was built and tested in the Netherlands. In May 1968 the plant is still mentioned in a telegram but due lacking further correspondence I’m yet no able to trace more details.
Note
1. Since 1952 formed Ethiopia and Eritrea a federation. The decision of the Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie to dissolve in 1962 the federation caused the Eritrean War of Independence.
Source
Archive Kon. Mij. De Schelde (Gemeentearchief Vlissingen) inventory numbers 214:1, 13, 20, 233 en 1803.
