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Damen to build 19 vessels for Russian Far East project cargoes

Written by Nick Blenkey
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Damen Amur River push boat

JUNE 21, 2017 — Damen Shipyards Group has won an order to build 19 specially customized shallow draft vessels for German heavy lift specialist Combi Lift.

The vessels will be used to transport oversized and heavy lift cargo for the Gazprom Amur Gas Processing Plant Project in the Russian Far East. The order is for four Multi Cats 2608SD, four Pusher Tugs 2612SD, seven Stan Pontoons 8916SD and four Side Floaters 8605SD.

Combi Lift’s role in the Gazprom project will be to transport over 176,000 tonnes of cargo from different production locations, over the sea to Russia and along the Amur and Zeya Rivers to the end-destination.

The project involves some significant heavy river transportation. Including the lifting and transportation of twelve columns, each weighing 900 tonnes.

Certain stretches of the Amur and Zeya Rivers can be very shallow and these conditions can also be compounded by severe weather conditions and winter ice.

To meet the specific demands of the prpoject and the local environmental conditions, Damen is making a number of adaptations to the vessels from its standard portfolio. These include reducing the vessels’ overall weight and lengthening/widening them to achieve reduced draft and increased buoyancy. Additionally, a raisable wheelhouse will be mounted to give a clear and safe overview of the deck and cargo.

The Side Floaters 8605SD will be used as lateral ballastable buoyancy modules in order to obtain a shallow draft for the Stan Pontoons when loaded with cargo.

“A project as challenging as this demands some very dependable vessels,” says Heiko Felderhoff, Combi Lift CEO. “We have worked closely with Damen to guarantee to the suitability of all these vessel designs and now we are looking forward to the next phase of this extensive and exciting project.”

“We have experience in Russia having delivered many vessels there in the past,” says Damen Sales Manager Remko Bouma. We know the demands and requirements of this specific project and we have gone over the statistics of these rivers. This has led to an optimized design which will ensure an efficient and continuous operation for Combi Lift. By making these project-specific design modifications in close cooperation with our client, this order demonstrates how flexible Damen’s standard portfolio can be.”

Construction of the vessels will take place at Damen Yichang Shipyard in China and Damen Shipyards Gorinchem and Damen Shipyards Hardinxveld in the Netherlands.

Damen Zeya River shallow water push boat

Damen Zeya River shallow water push

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