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From: Richard Jenkins
Location: Boston, MA
email: cuyahoga@boatnerd.com
Remote Name: 216.194.26.98
Date: 03.29.06
Time: 09:21:17 AM
The problem with converting the Cliffs Victory was that the after hold was separated from the rest of the holds by the engine room and "aft" (midship) cabins. The only options for conversion would be either a completely separate rig for the aft hold (so basically double the cost right there), or somehow run a conveyor belt from the after hold through or around the engine and boiler rooms. This would involve a major reconfiguration of either the machinery spaces or the fuel bunkers, which might just have been feasible if they were converting her to diesel at the same time. Either way, she would have cost considerably more to convert than the average straight-decker, and ultimately Cliffs decided she wasn't worth the expense.