German yard bags second major order in a week
The ACV 606 arctic container vessel design, part of P&S Werft's latest order
P+S Werften in eastern Germany has announced a big order for five ice-strengthened container/supply ships - just a week after bagging another for a unique offshore construction vessel.
Tom Todd writes: The latest ships, all for delivery in 2012, are for Arctic and Antarctic service with Greenland’s Royal Arctic Line (RAL). No order value was initially revealed but reports said they were being financed by the KfW IPEX Bank to the tune of €72 million.
P+S Werften head Dieter Brammertz said the order brought the value of ships booked by the group in January to €200 million and the number of vessels under build to 25. Just a week earlier P+S announced an order from the Far East for a 180m offshore construction vessel.
The biggest of the single-screw Arctic Cargo Vessels will be a Type 606, 113m long and 22.7m wide, carrying 606 TEUs with 255 reefer plugs. She will have two cargo cranes and a 7,860kW propulsion plant.
Two Type ACV 108 ships will be 71m long, 15.2m wide and carry 108 TEUs with 80 reefer plugs. They will also have 2 cargo cranes and 2,040 kW engines. The smallest ships, Type ACV 36, will be a completely new design, just 45m long, 12.8m wide and carry 36 TEUs with 26 reefer plugs. They will each boast a single cargo crane and 1,040 kW propulsion plants. Engine and crane builders and types were not identified.
The biggest ship will be a modernised and modified version of RAL’s Mary Arctica, which has been in service for about five years. The two smaller types are completely new, specially designed for supplying unsecured and remote coastal ports along the Greenland coast as well as research facilities in the Antarctic.
All the ships will also have medical facilities for outlying communities and they and their gear will be capable for operation in temperatures between -35° C and +36° C. All for delivery in 2012, they are part of a RAL fleet renewal programme and will replace six older vessels.Images for this article - click to enlarge
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