The hulls and crane barge had been constructed at yards in China. They are scheduled to arrive in the Port of Rotterdam mid-August. Upon arrival the hulls will be towed to Concordia Damen and other local yards for outfitting and the Crane Barge to Damen Shipyards Gorinchem.

The idea of constructing the hulls in China is to ensure a cost efficient product. However, with the market for these types of vessel being mostly found in Europe, it is important that repositioning the hulls is done in a manner which maintains this cost efficiency.

Bert Duijzer, technical manager, Concordia Damen explains the logic behind heavy lift transportation, “Sending one large vessel, with many smaller ones, is far more efficient that sending multiple small vessels. This way we are able to pass on the cost efficiency we have gained in construction to our clients in Europe, at the same time as minimising the environmental footprint of our operations.

“On this particular shipment, most of the hulls have already been purchased, though one of them will be placed on stock. In the way, this process also ensures our clients of a very fast delivery of their new vessel.”

The Damen Crane Barge, built for stock, will become available for a visit or demonstration from the end of August 2019.