Insiders said a contract could be signed within two weeks, with the hull scheduled for delivery around December 2004.
However, the contract is likely to depend on financing for the project, which could prove difficult in the current market.
The project cost is understood to be close to $40 million, which includes some owner-furnished equipment and design royalties for Moss Maritime.
The contract would be the second CS-50 baredeck hull to be ordered from the Russian shipyard by Reiten and Saipem subsidiary Moss Maritime.
The
