Make eight out of four: Hamburg-based shipping company Carsten Rehder has taken the option for further MPP newbuildings from India.
The Indian shipyard Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) has now announced the expansion of the series. According to the announcement, the four “Coral 7500” MPP vessels contracted in the summer will now be joined by four more, bringing the project to eight MPP ships. The order is valued at US$108m.
The ships will be 120 meters long and 17 meters wide and have a maximum draught of 6.75 meters. They will each have a single hold in which bulk cargo, general cargo and project cargo can be accommodated. It will also be possible to transport containers on the hatch covers. However, the newbuildings were designed specifically for the transportation of several large wind turbine blades on deck. Following several sales as a result of the major shipping crisis, Carsten Rehder had converted its own fleet, but also purchased ships.
Carsten Rehder joins the ranks of customers in India
The single cargo hold of the newbuildings for Carsten Rehder has been maximised for a capacity of around 400,000 cubic feet and can be partitioned off with two bulkheads. The bulkheads can also be used as tween decks. The propulsion concept is diesel-mechanical with a shaft generator and a controllable pitch propeller. The shaft generator is designed for “power-take-off, power-take-in and power-take-home”.
“This hybrid configuration enables very efficient driving in combination mode at lower and higher speeds,” continues Carsten Rehder. It also includes an additional energy reserve for ice travel or future retrofitting with batteries. The design already includes a biofuel system on delivery. The main engine is supplied by Anglo Belgian Corporation and is reportedly “currently the only engine type in its class approved for retrofitting with methanol and hydrogen in its power segment.”
GRSE describes itself as “a pioneer in the export of warships”. In 2014, the “CGS Barracuda”, an offshore patrol vessel built by GRSE, was exported to Mauritius. It was the first warship to be exported from India. The shipyard is also currently working on six patrol boats and a TSH dredger for the government of Bangladesh. In 2023, GRSE delivered the “Ma Lisha”, a passenger and cargo ferry, to the Republic of Guyana.
