The “Elise”, the first newbuilding in SAL Heavy Lift’s new “Orca” class, has been christened in a ceremony in Hamburg. The ceremony took place in the presence of the crew, employees and partners of the JSI Alliance.
The handover marks the start of the commissioning of a ship class with which SAL and its alliance partners Jumbo Shipping and Intermarine want to reposition themselves in the heavy lift and offshore project business. The approximately 150 m long and 27.2 m wide “Elise” was built at the Wuhu Shipyard in China and consists of around 7,600 tons of steel. The naming ceremony also included a large fireworks display at the Cruise Center at Baakenhöft in HafenCity.
Liebherr cranes can lift up to 1600 tons
The “Elise” is equipped with two all-electric Liebherr cranes of the “LS 800 E” type, which enable individual loads of up to 800 tons and combined tandem lifts of up to 1,600 tons. Reinforced hatch covers with a load capacity of up to 10 t/m² allow the transportation of heavy deck loads, including cable reels weighing up to 3,000 t. The box-shaped cargo hold with innovative hatch cover system, including the “hatchcoverless” class, is designed to offer additional flexibility in the arrangement of general cargo. For operations in cold regions, the “Elise” is certified with ice class 1A and in accordance with the Polar Code. The maximum speed is up to 18 knots.
Dual-fuel engines designed for methanol
All newbuilds in the series have hybrid drives with dual-fuel engines that can also be operated with methanol, with the aim of climate-neutral operation. The shipping company also relies on biodegradable oils for hydraulics and lubrication. Hydrodynamically optimized Schottel propellers with an output of 8,810 kW ensure propulsion. According to the shipping company, customers can reduce their Scope 3 emissions with the new units and benefit from more efficient operation at the same time. The “Orca Class” therefore offers not only ecological but also economic benefits.
Siemens Gamesa as the first customer
Before the christening, the “Elise” had already begun its first operational journey. From Penglai in China, it is transporting tower sections for Siemens Gamesa to Hull in the UK. She will then make her first call at her home port of Hamburg. With the “Orca Class”, the JSI Alliance, a merger of SAL Heavy Lift (Germany), Jumbo Shipping (Netherlands) and Intermarine (USA), wants to position itself as a pioneer in environmentally friendly heavy goods transportation. The first two newbuildings have been booked on a long-term basis for offshore wind projects.
The first ship in the series marks the start of SAL’s fleet renewal, which aims to make processes more efficient and improve the environmental footprint of heavy-lift cargo transportation. Four further units of the “Orca” class are under construction or in planning.
