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''Steel'' is a Finnish pusher vessel owned and operated by ESL Shipping. It is part of the ''Finnpusku'' integrated tug and barge system developed in the 1980s by Finnlines, a Finnish shipping company that also managed the vessel until 2003, in co-operation with Rautaruukki for the transportation needs of the steel company. The vessel, built by Hollming in Rauma, Finland, as ''Finn'', was delivered on 28 April 1987 and has since been used mainly to supply raw materials to the Raahe Steel Works. On 27 December 1990 the vessel capsized along with the barge ''Baltic'' outside Hanko, Finland, while en route from Raahe to Koverhar in southern Finland with a cargo of iron ore concentrate. The cargo shifted in heavy weather, resulting in the loss of stability and the vessel capsizing in 10–15 seconds. Seven crew members and a pilot lost their lives in the accident, but the chief engineer and chief officer survived in an air pocket in the aftmost part of the engine room and were later rescued through a hole cut in the bottom. The combination was later rightened and towed to Rauma for rebuilding. ''Finn'' returned to service as ''Steel'' and ''Baltic'' as ''Botnia'' in 1991.〔 ''Steel'' has an identical sister vessel, ''Rautaruukki'', which was delivered in 1986. == Development and construction == (詳細はsteel mill in Raahe by towed barges and found them suitable for the steel company's transportation needs. However, due to the poor maneuverability of the barges and their inability to operate in winter conditions, Rautaruukki decided to investigate if it would be possible to design a pusher-barge system that could also be operated in ice conditions. When Finnlines was consulted, it presented the ''Finnpusku'' system it had developed and the two companies signed a development contract. Later Finnlines performed several feasibility studies which showed that a pusher-barge system would be the most economical and efficient method of transporting bulk cargoes on the relatively short routes of the Baltic Sea.〔 The initial plan was to establish shipping companies for each vessel of the ''Finnpusku'' system under the joint ownership of several large Finnish industrial and shipping companies, including Rautaruukki and Finnlines, which would also manage the vessels. However, due to delays in negotiations, Rautaruukki, concerned about the continuous supply of raw materials to the Raahe Steel Works, decided to order one pusher and two barges for itself. A follow-up order for another pusher and three more barges was signed by joint shipping companies "Puskija", "Proomu I", "Proomu II" and "Proomu III", formed by Effoa Oy (20%), Oy Finnlines Ltd (16%), Hollming Oy (10%), Neste Oy (25%), Palkkiyhtymä Oy (10%), Oy Paratug Ltd (5%), Rautaruukki Oy (9%) and Thomesto Oy (5%), on 14 March 1985. The second pusher of the ''Finnpusku'' system, ''Finn'', was laid down on 7 November 1985 and launched on 9 May 1985.〔 Pusher ''Steel'' and barges ''Baltic'', ''Board'' and ''Bulk'', built by a Portuguese shipyard Estaleiros Navais de Setubal in Setúbal and outfitted in Rauma, were delivered to their respective joint shipping companies on 28 April 1987.〔 When the two pushers and five barges of the ''Finnpusku'' system entered service in 1986–1987, it was estimated that they would carry one third of the ten million tons of bulk cargo arriving in Finland by sea every year.〔Mauno, J. Finnpusku minimoi satama-ajan. Navigator 11/86.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Steel (pusher)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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