DIAMOND 53	10/10/2005
	DIAMOND 53 delivered for service The first two DIAMOND 53 vessels have been delivered to their Norwegian owner, SPAR Shipping, and Grontmij | Carl Bro Marine has started a systematic collection of performance data. After a successful maiden voyage between Tanjong Priok in Indonesia and Stockton in the USA with 38,000 tons of cargo, SPAR LYRA is now heading for Vancouver to collect a load of potash. Graig Shipping, Det Norske Veritas and Grontmij | Carl Bro Marine have entered into an agreement to systematically collect relevant performance data that will enable them to make ongoing improvements to the DIAMOND 53 design. So now we are looking forward to seeing how SPAR LYRA performs when she is loaded with 53,500 tons. To date, two DIAMOND 53 vessels, SPAR LYRA and SPAR LYNX, have been delivered from the Chengxi Shipyard in China. New Century Shipyard (also in China) is expected to deliver the first DIAMOND 53 vessel around 1st May. Interest in the new bulk carrier is still high and the order book shows that at present there are firm orders for 28 vessels and 12 on option. However, judging from the great interest there is no doubt that even more orders will be placed.