Wuhu Shipyard, a Chinese shipbuilder, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Germany’s SAL Heavy Lift Group for the construction of five new 14,600 dwt multi-purpose heavy lift vessels.
SAL Heavy Lift is a leading operator in heavy lift and project cargo shipping based in Hamburg, Germany. The new agreement expands on a relationship between the two firms. Under their previous cooperation, SAL had ordered five multi-purpose heavy lift vessels from Wuhu Shipyard, of which three vessels have been delivered.
The latest ships have been designed to meet challenging requirements of oversized and ultra-heavy cargo transportation. Each vessel will be equipped with a single, extra-large cargo hold, giving it class-leading volumetric capacity and hatch opening dimensions relative to other heavy lift vessels of similar tonnage worldwide.
The design will also offer open-top loading, which will give SAL more flexibility in handling cargoes of non-conventional dimensions.
Each vessel will be equipped with two custom designed large capacity hydraulic cranes. Together the cranes will provide the ships with a maximum combined lifting capacity of 1,600 tons, giving them significant capability for ocean-going heavy cargo operations.
In addition to the newbuilding agreement Wuhu Shipyard has announced three strategic purchasing partnerships with internationally recognized marine equipment suppliers. The agreements are designed to strengthen the shipyard’s global supply chain and help build high-end and environmentally friendly vessels.
The first deal is for a long term strategic procurement partnership with Glomax. Glomax’s technical expertise and proven global delivery record will be leveraged to secure stable and reliable supply guaranties for Wuhu Shipyard’s existing and future newbuilding projects. The arrangement is expected to help sustain project execution and quality of construction.
Wuhu Shipyard has also signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Finnish marine fuel supply and auxiliary systems specialist Auramarine. Under the partnership, Auramarine will support the shipyard in optimizing its green-vessel supply chain and enhancing technical capabilities for the development and construction of next-generation clean-energy ships.
We have entered into a third strategic sourcing agreement with Circor, the global provider of integrated fluid-control solutions. The partnership will provide technical and operational support for fluid-control systems installed on newly built vessels at Wuhu Shipyard, improving equipment safety, operational stability and intelligent capabilities.
The five-vessel order, together with the three international procurement contracts, represents a major step in Wuhu Shipyard’s efforts to strengthen its position in the construction of advanced and greener vessels.
