Germany: SAL Puts “Svenja”, the World’s Largest Heavy Lift Vessel, Into Service

With a lifting capacity of a total of 2,000 tonnes and speed of 20 knots, it’s the world’s largest heavy lift vessel to date: SAL Schiffahrtskontor Altes Land puts the first of two new buildings of Type 183 into service. The company, which ranks among the leading international heavy lift shipping companies and is based in Steinkirchen near Hamburg commissioned the Sietas shipyard in Hamburg with the design and construction of this innovative vessel type, which was built in just six months, during which the shipping company and shipyard worked closely together.

On December 9, the heavy lift vessel is christened at the “Überseebrücke” bridge in its home port of Hamburg. Following the ceremony, the MV “Svenja” will embark on its maiden voyage the next day. On its first voyage, the vessel is heading towards the Far East. Upon its return to Europe it will transport complex “templates” for offshore oil exploration along the Norwegian coast. The offshore energy sector – including oil, gas and wind – will be one of the core segments of employment for this highly specialized vessel.

“We are expecting further growth in the offshore energy sector”, says SAL Managing Director and Co-Owner Lars Rolner, 49, on the occasion of the vessel’s naming ceremony. “We see demand worldwide and forecast that the market will grow dynamically over the next few years. We already have orders and enquiries from the offshore industry. Our modern fleet of high capacity heavy lift vessels puts us in an ideal place to respond to this reemerging demand. With the ‘Svenja’, we now have the world’s largest heavy lift ship, with a lifting capacity of 2,000 tonnes and a speed of 20 knots. The ‘Svenja’ is equipped with a dynamic positioning system, making it perfectly suited for employment in the oil, gas and wind offshore sectors. Its first task begins tomorrow.”

With MV “Svenja”, SAL Schifffahrtskontor Altes Land, in which the Japanese “K” Line Group holds a 50 per cent stake, currently has a fleet of 15 ships. Its vessels are operational during an average of 360 days per year. MV “Svenja” sails under the German flag, with German officers and a Philippine crew. SAL will be putting a second Type 183 into service in March 2011. The vessel is already under construction at the Sietas shipyard. The order for the two heavy lifters is worth a total of €120 million, financed jointly by SAL, HSH Nordbank and the City of Hamburg.Ordbank andOrdbank andyard. The order for the two heavy lifters is worth a totl r year. MV “s, which pulls

MV “Svenja” – latest generation of heavy lift vessels

The MV “Svenja” of type 183 stands for the latest generation of heavy lift vessels. 75 per cent of the parts employed in its construction originate from Germany. The two high-performance cranes, for example, which boast a previously unheard-of lifting capacity for a heavy lift vessel of 2,000 tonnes, are sourced from Neuenfelder Maschinenfabrik (NMF) in Hamburg, which is also part of the Sietas group. Apart from their lifting capacity the cranes stand out due to their significant outreach of up to 38m. The ship’s diesel engine, with its 12,600 kilowatts and its capability of generating a speed of 20 knots, comes from the Augsburg-based MAN Group. This combination of speed and performance makes the ship unique in the project area. In addition, MV “Svenja” can operate as an “open-top”/open hatch ship, when transporting cargo of very large dimensions. Moreover, it is equipped with a dynamic positioning system – a computer controlled system for positioning the vessel in offshore operations. In addition to its high performance, MV “Svenja” possesses an Environmental Passport, meeting the highest environmental standards. It also possesses ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 HSE certifications. The heavy lifter measures 160.5 metres in length and 27.5 metres in width, and has a loading capacity of 11.000 ts and 40.000 cbm (freight volume). “For our customers, we offer high-performance heavy lift vessels for the most demanding of tasks. Our competitive advantage is clearly the outstanding quality of the ships, coupled with our expertise as specialists in development, technology, ship management, project planning, worker protection and environmental standards.” says Lars Rolner.

In addition to in-house chartering/commercial services, SAL also operates their own engineering and technical inspection departments, as well as its own crewing department.

After the christening at Hamburg, MV “Svenja” embarks on its maiden voyage

In line with the tradition that all the company’s ships bear the name of one of the wives or daughters of the company’s owning families the vessel “Svenja” is named after the daughter of SAL founder and Co-Owner Hans Heinrich. The ship is the sixth to bear this name in the company’s history. “I grew up with the shipping industry, which makes this a very special moment for me”, says a delighted Svenja Heinrich, 40, who works at SAL as a marketing manager. After the christening at Hamburg’s Überseebrücke, captain Rüdiger Bauer (40), will take over the ship, which is scheduled to embark on its first mission the next morning, heading in the direction of the Baltic Sea. Once it has transported heavy cranes and machinery from Germany to the Far East, it will then head for the coast of Norway carrying drilling templates designed for use on the sea bed in connection with oil and gas extraction.

SAL Schiffahrtskontor Altes Land GmbH & Co. KG: company portrait

SAL Schiffahrtskontor Altes Land, a joint venture between owning families Heinrich and Rolner and Japan’s “K” Line Group, ranks among the world’s leading heavy lift shipping companies. Founded in 1980 but with roots that stretch back to a first ship delivery in 1865, the company is based at Steinkirchen in Germany. From its head office in the Altes Land area between Hamburg and Stade, SAL operates an international network of agencies and maintains its own offices in Japan, China, the United Kingdom, Italy, the United States, Finland and Australia. The company has a total of 570 employees across the world. It operates a fleet of 15 heavy lift ships, financed through its own means and through banks, and the management of which is handled internally. SAL’s internal engineering department deals with all technical load-related matters, while developing innovative transportation solutions for individual customer needs.

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Source: sal-heavylift, December 10, 2010