Gaiamare newbuilding will also double up as oil-spill response vessel
Finnish-based specialist project cargo ship operator Gaiamare has ordered a deck cargo vessel capable of running on biofuels. The ship, ordered from STX Finland, will also be fitted out to act as a oil spill response vessel.
STX says that the diesel electric propulsion supports the diverse utilisation of the ship, while being energy efficient with a low carbon footprint. The vessel is designed to burn biofuels.
For her spill response role the ship has been designed to be course stable at very low speeds which enables efficient collecting of oil. With two electric rudder propellers and two bow thrusters, the ship can also run sideways in open water, enabling even more efficient oil recovering.
Gaiamare is part of the Turku-based Meriaura Group and specialises in the transport of industrial products and project cargo on the Baltic Sea and in Europe. It currently charters 14 ice-reinforced dry cargo ships
The 105 metre long, 19 metre beam ship will be delivered during spring 2012 and will, according to STX, have numerous innovations and very high specifications, including the ability to operate efficiently in demanding ice conditions.
The vessel is designed for transportation of demanding project cargo, such as offshore wind farm structures, and is also suitable for transporting energy wood in the Baltic Sea region. The vessel includes Double Acting Ship (DASTM) mode, which has been developed together with Aker Arctic Technology. The Finnish-Swedish ice class 1A vessel will be the first DAS – dry cargo vessel in the Baltic Sea. She will fly the Finnish flag.
The multi-purpose deck cargo vessel is also designed to operate as an oil spill response vessel – both in the open sea and inshore. Versatile oil spill response equipment can be installed on the ship. She can store about 2,700 cu m of recovered oil and she will significantly increase the storage capacity of current Finnish oil spill response fleet.
Jari Anttila, director of STX Turku shipyard, said: “Designing of the ship will start immediately and the construction will begin in late summer. Following launch of this vessel from the building dock, the construction of the cruise ferry for Viking Line will immediately begin.”
Source: Worldbunkering
