The Rio series was a series of multi-purpose general cargo ships operated by the Swedish shipping company Johnson Line (Rederi AB Nordstjernan). The ships were built from 1956 to 1963 in seven units at the Gothenburg shipyard Lindholmens Varv .
The design of the ships built on the experiences with the Seattle class built from 1947 on. The design with superstructures three quarters aft and the loading gear made of electrohydraulic deck cranes, which was still unconventional at the time, was specially developed for the shipping company's service between Scandinavia and the east coast of South America . The ships, which were around 150 meters long and 19.20 meters wide on frames, had six cargo holds with one, two or three tween decks and a large cooling capacity. Four holds were arranged in front of the deckhouse and two holds behind the deckhouse. Cargo hold 1, 2 and 6 were designed for conventional dry cargo, with the sub-compartments of holds 1 and 6 being specially designed for the transport of cattle hides. Holds 3, 4 and 5 were divided into three in the fore and aft direction, with spaces 3 and 4 even being provided with three hatches arranged side by side. The side rooms of the intermediate decks of holds 3, 4 and 5 were designed as refrigerated and freezer holds. The middle compartments of holds 3, 4 and 5 were again designed for conventional dry cargo. The lower space of cargo hold 5 was intended on the sides exclusively for the transport of fresh oil, the middle compartment could be used for dry cargo or as a fresh oil tank.
The propulsion system was a novelty in the construction of the ships. It consisted of four high-speed twelve-cylinder four-stroke main engines of the type Pielstick 12 PC 1V, which had been built under license by Lindholmens Werft and Hedemora Verkstäder. Two motors each acted on one of the two propeller shafts via hydraulic clutches and reduction gears. The main engines were designed for operation with heavy fuel oil and together made around 12,000 hp, which allowed a speed of around 19 knots .
Beginning with the Montevideo , all ships were extended in 1968/1969 by a middle section with a container hold in order to adapt them to the beginning containerization . The load capacity increased from around 9,000 to around 12,000 tons. Since the container handling with the existing 5 and 7.5-ton cranes could not be performed, the first converted vessels during the conversion were given a new charging pole with 25-ton derricks and a 100-ton heavy lift , with the later modifications were built instead used a 25-ton ship crane.
The ships (selection)
Rio series
Building name
Build number
IMO number
delivery
Later names and whereabouts
Rio de Janeiro
1037
-
20th September 1956
1969 extended, engine room fire on April 29, 1970 on the journey from Balboa to Buenaventura - extinguished, 1980 Ris 8 , 1980 machines removed, 1980/81 scrapped at Astilleros de Demolicio Naval Gandia in Barcelona
Buenos Aires
1053
-
December 28, 1957
1968 extended, 1983 Ares I , 1984 Ares , arrived in Karachi on June 19, 1984 for scrapping
Montevideo
1054
-
October 20, 1958
Extended in 1968 at Eriksbergs Mekaniska Verkstad in Gothenburg, Rock in 1981 , Rush in 1988 , arrived in Alang on February 5, 1988 for demolition
Santos
1055
-
June 1, 1959
1968 extended, 1983 Santos III , delivered to Chittagong on December 10, 1983 for scrapping
Rosario
1056
-
April 11, 1960
1968 extended, 1980 Zacapa , 1983 Zapata , arrived at China Dismantled Vessels Trading Corporation in Kaohsiung on August 20, 1983 for scrapping
Brasilia
1057
-
December 9, 1960
Extended 1968, on April 11, 1969 at Noord Hinder collision with the Spanish freighter Alfonso Tercero , which is sinking rapidly, ran aground on October 16, 1976 while leaving Stockholm near Aspholmen and later disrupted, 1983 Bra , on March 8, 1984 in Shanghai arrived for cancellation
Bahia Blanca
1081
-
April 20, 1964
Extended in 1968, Bahia in 1984 , Chimera in 1985, scrapped in Chittagong from October 1985
Data: Lloyd's Register of Shipping
literature
Six 9,000-ton 19-knot Cargo Liners - The MS "Rio de Janeiro" First of Series for Service to South America. 12,000 bhp Four-engined Geared Machinery . In: The Motor Ship . Vol. 38, No.451 . Temple Press, London December 1957, pp.386-390 .
