On Thursday August 11, 2011, STX Finland’s Turku Shipyard started the production of the innovative and versatile multipurpose deck cargo vessel ordered by Oy Gaiamare Ab. NB 1379 is an environmentally friendly specialised ship that will be delivered during spring 2012. The vessel has a length of approximately 105 metres and a width of approximately 19 metres, and it will provide work for about 300 persons during the different stages of production.
The production start-up at STX Turku Shipyard took place in a traditional manner. The event was attended by representatives of Oy Gaiamare Ab, STX Finland Oy and classification society Bureau Veritas, as well as by members of the press.
The vessel, which represents a very high technical level, is designed for transportation of demanding and heavy project cargo, such as offshore wind farm structures. The ship is also very suitable for transporting energy wood in the Baltic Sea region. The multipurpose deck cargo vessel is also designed to operate as an oil spill response vessel, both at open sea and in the archipelago, and it can be equipped with versatile oil spill response equipment. The diesel electric propulsion system supports the diverse utilisation of the ship, while being energy efficient and low carbon.
The vessel has numerous innovations that are new in the field. For the first time, we will see a cargo vessel with diesel electric propulsion that is designed to use alternative bio-oils as fuel. Additionally, the vessel includes Double Acting Ship (DASTM) mode, which means it can run ahead and astern in ice. It is also exceptional that this cargo vessel was designed and equipped to recover oil from the sea. This ice class 1A vessel, which can operate all year round, has large tanks with the approximate volume of 2700 m³ for recovered oil, which will significantly increase the storage capacity of current Finnish oil spill response fleet.
“This technically highly advanced vessel is very important for Turku shipyard. The project will also promote production in Turku shipyard. During the fall, we will also start the production of the cruise ferry for Viking Line. The design and purchase processes of the multipurpose deck cargo vessel have gone according to plan. Cooperation between the shipyard, the client, the classification society and the material and unit suppliers has worked very well,” said Jari Anttila, director of STX Turku Shipyard.
