Project freight forwarder deugro is heading a newbuilding project for two ro-ro vessels designed to transport offshore wind components.
The two vessels will be built at Jiangsu Zhenjiang Shipyard in China with deliveries scheduled for the spring and summer of 2025.
The ships will be built and operated as part of a tripartite agreement between logistics player deugro Danmark, Dutch heavylift specialist Amasus Offshore and Spanish renewable energy firm Siemens Gamesa.
The Rotra Futura and Rotra Horizon, as the ships will be named, will be fitted with a stern ro-ro ramp, three Liebherr cranes and a unique gantry system.
The vessels will be taken on long-term charter by deugro and Siemens.
The vessels are based on designs of two deugro-owned vessels: the 9,620-dwt Rotra Mar (built 2009) and 6,500-dwt Rotra Vente (built 2016).
The company said that older design had proven successful at reducing risk, loading times and costs.
However, the newbuildings are designed to accommodate the increasing size and weight of offshore components.
The vessels are 167.7m long and 26m wide. They will be fitted with the deckhouse and accommodation placed forward to ensure cargo intake without line-of-sight limitations.
Record backlog
Christian Johansen, global commodity manager for ports and transportation in Siemens Gamesa’s offshore business unit, said: “With our record order backlog, we will be installing a significant number of wind turbines at sea globally, with increasingly larger and more complex components.
“With this agreement, we have taken another important step towards securing our ability to execute projects safely, on time and at the right cost level.”
The vessels will be fitted with Wartsila diesel engine with 15% lower consumption.
Energy consumption has been further reduced with aerodynamically and hydro-optimised hull shape and a low-resistance special coating.
Hans Henrik Groen, managing director of deugro Danmark, said: “The aspect of reducing the carbon footprint will be even more important in the future of the offshore wind industry.”
Deugro, which was founded in Germany in 1924, is a family-owned enterprise run by the third generation.
The group focuses on project freight forwarding, ocean transportation of heavylift and project cargo, transport and marine engineering as well as specialised transportation assets.
