Eagerly awaited, the first upgrade of the Rotra freighters is now complete. The MPP-RoRo ship “Rotra Futura” is a project of the shipping company Amasus, the logistics company Deugro and Siemens Gamesa. The second newbuild is also already afloat.
“Just two years after the contract was signed”, the “Rotra Futura” has now been delivered by the Zhenjiang Shipyards shipyard in Jiangsu, according to the project logistics company Deugro.
The christening is scheduled to take place in Europe later this year. Just four days later – almost at the same time – the “Rotra Horizon”, which is due to be delivered in July, was launched.
With the market launch of both ships, the partners want to continue the Rotra concept: Tailor-made solutions that meet the operational and process-related challenges in the supply chain when carrying out offshore wind energy projects. Following the conversion projects for “Rotra Mare” and “Rotra Vente” in 2013 (and a conversion a few years later), the company now wanted to meet the requirements of the market, where wind turbine components are becoming increasingly larger and heavier.
This includes a RoRo ramp – this time not in the foredeck, but in the stern area – and a gantry solution. The aim is to minimize risks and reduce costs.
The two “previous” ships are to remain in operation. The 137 m long and 26 m wide newbuildings “Rotra Futura” and “Rotra Horizon” were also developed.
The basis is “the desire” – and a concrete charter agreement – of Siemens Gamesa, Deugro Danmark and the Dutch shipping company Amasus to lead the market with a new Rotra concept, which is to become an important link in the logistics chain of the growing wind energy industry. With DEKC Maritime and Concordia Damen, design, engineering, project management and shipbuilding work has been carried out to develop “a new, cost- and energy-efficient type of vessel”.
“Our offshore order book amounts to more than 16 GW and reflects the strong global demand. With the development and chartering of the two new Rotra vessels, Siemens Gamesa is well equipped to ensure the safe, timely and cost-effective delivery of offshore projects around the world,” said Christian Johansen, Global Commodity Manager for Ports & Transportation at Siemens Gamesa.
“Our trilateral collaboration on the Rotra vessels, based on mutual respect and innovative thinking, underlines our commitment to excellence and aims to make a measurable impact on the market while driving the energy transition towards a greener shipping industry,” said Anders Moeller, Country Manager Denmark, deugro.
The Rotra vessels are well known in the MPP market and the upgrade has been eagerly awaited. Read a detailed description of the project and the newbuildings in the upcoming May issue of HANSA. We have spoken to some of those involved and provide background and additional information.
