This will be an increasingly familiar sight in and around Southampton Docks in the coming years as the new 2,958 gross tonnage, Whitchallenger bunkers ships alongside the city's port.
Whitchallenger is the first of a two-vessel series for the Whitaker Group, with a base in Southampton, which will be employed in the bunkering and coastal fuel trades.
Seen with P&O Cruises' 76,000 ton superliner, Aurora, the new Whitaker ship, chartered by Exxon, was built at the Tuzla Gemi Shipyard in Istanbul, Turkey.
Both Whitchallenger, the group's first vessel for six years, and Whitchampion, expected to be in service by May of next year, are double-hulled ships and are built to the latest safety standards.
With a speed of 11 knots, Whitchallenger has a total of 14 cargo tanks and can accommodate a crew of ten.
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