The heavy lift shipping company Biglift from the Dutch Spliethoff Group is expanding its fleet with a sister to the tried-and-tested “Happy Star”.
The newbuilding, which is scheduled for delivery in June 2028, will strengthen Biglift’s capacity “to meet the growing global demand for heavy lift and project cargo transportation”, according to the shipping company.
The order has been placed with the Chinese shipyard Dalian Shipbuilding Offshore Co. and includes an option for a second newbuild. The latest addition to the fleet is designed as a sister to the “Happy Star”, which was commissioned in 2014 and has a carrying capacity of 19,000 at a length of 156 meters. However, it is said to feature “a number of optimizations and improvements” that meet the latest regulatory requirements and technological developments. Biglift sees the transaction as “underpinning its long-term commitment to the heavy lift market”.
“This newbuilding is a significant addition to our fleet and underlines our commitment to continue pushing the boundaries of heavy lift transportation,” said Johan Boer, Managing Director of the shipping company.
The Finnish-Swedish ice class 1A vessel will have lifting capacities for tandem lifts of up to 2,200 tons – using two 1,100 t cranes from Huisman. The continuous weather deck and the adjustable tween deck are designed to provide optimum loading space.
Spliethoff subsidiary Biglift ordered newbuildings just last year – at the time from the deck carrier segment and together with Korean partner CY Shipping. In 2019, BigLift formed an alliance with the Korean owner Chun Yang. The fleet currently comprises four heavy transport vessels and 21 heavylifters, including P8 and P14 units from Spliethoff and the Chang-Yung types from CY Shipping.
