Nordic Yards has completed the extensive renovation of the 169m long ship
The Wismar facility of Germany’s Nordic Yards has completed the unusual modernisation of an ice-breaking container ship – the Norilskiy Nickel – prompted by increased transport demands on Russia’s northern route.
The 18,000dwt, 648TEU ship, which breaks ice up to 1.5m thick, was re-delivered to Russian mining concern Norilsk Nickel on completion and left Wismar for Murmansk.
The extensive renovation of the 169m long ship was booked as recently as May and has been welcome fill-in work for the struggling German yard. Nordic, the former Wadan/Aker MTW, is no stranger to such work, but has traditionally been more of a newbuild than a repair and conversion facility.
Along with routine repair and maintenance, which included hull conservation, painting, classification work and also heeling tests, Nordic installed two new loading cranes and two provisions cranes as well as a more powerful port auxiliary genset. The number of reefer plugs was increased and side container supports added to increase the number of overall container slots. A shelter deck and a ballast water handling plant were also added.
Yard spokeswoman Tina Kunath told The Motorship Wednesday: “the modernisation of the ship was needed because of increased demand for cargo transport on Russia’s northern coast”. Asked if more such jobs were in the offing for Nordic, Kunath said “there are no specific plans for further modernisation jobs of this type” but indicated that if they were made then “Nordic Yards will respond flexibly to customer demands”.
Work on the container ship has run parallel with the building of the yard’s first type AT 19 ice-breaking Arctic tanker Yenesei, also for Norilsk Nickel. The 100 million newbuilding was due to leave for her sea trials this month and be delivered in late September.
Source: The Motorship
