The Dockwise Vanguard is the first semisubmersible heavy lift vessel to be built in accordance with DNV’s new class rules for this type of ship. With its width of nearly 80m and length of 275m, the vessel has no forecastle, which allows it to carry cargo of ”unlimited” length. Its deckhouse is mainly positioned outside its hull, allowing it to carry cargo that is 70m wide.
DNV Regional Manager Central Europe, Torgeir Sterri, had this to say: “As DNV is perceived to be the leading class society when it comes to heavy lift vessels, and as Dockwise is a front runner within this ship segment, the two organizations have cooperated to ensure this new innovative vessel meets all the safety standards.
At the annual gala for the Dutch maritime cluster, the Royal Dutch Association of Shipowners chose the Dockwise Vanguard as the most innovative and daring project launched by the Dutch maritime sector during the past year. Dockwise’s CEO André Goedée expressed his appreciation of the Dutch flag administration and DNV, when accepting his award. “I am pleased and impressed by the way the owner, flag and class have managed to work together. By thinking ‘outside the box’, we have been able to form a new concept and bring the whole industry a huge step forward,” he said.
The vessel will be built by Hyundai Heavy Industries in Korea. Its keel will be laid in December and the vessel is scheduled for delivery in October 2012, when its first cargo will be ready to be transported from South-East Asia to Brazil.