Dutch heavy lift transport specialist Roll Group has taken delivery of a new fleet addition. With a length of 146 metres, a width of 32 metres and 12,285 tonnes deadweight, this Module Carrier is slightly smaller than the current ones in the fleet (BigRoll Bering and BigRoll Beaufort), but it has a wider deck space.
The newly acquired vessel was originally built in 2015, and will soon be painted in Roll Group livery and renamed as BigRoll Biscay. The vessel will integrate into the existing fleet and underlines the strategy of Roll Group to grow as the provider of choice offering a unique land/sea combination of project cargo transport.
‘We are convinced this is a good investment considering the improving outlook for the years ahead,’ comments Adriaan Aarts, Roll Group CEO. ‘We expect many developments in the near future and have identified a need for additional tonnage to serve our clients in the oil and gas and offshore wind markets. Our current Module Carriers are perfectly suited to serve these markets, but given the large scale of some of the upcoming projects, further expansion of our fleet is necessary.’
Bigroll Biscay
Although this new vessel is a little smaller in length than the first two BigRoll ships, it has many similarities. The flush cargo deck of the BigRoll Biscay measures an impressive 123.8 x 32.2 metres, compared to 125 x 42 metres on the BigRoll Bering and Beaufort. The overall deck load capacity of all Module Carriers is 20 metric tonnes per square metre. The BigRoll Biscay isn’t ice class certified – but in contrast, the Biscay does have DP2.
‘This new vessel will enable us to serve clients that require DP capabilities for their projects and also provides more flexibility and back-up for our existing fleet,’ says Peter Rondhuis, Roll Group CCO. ‘Our existing Module Carriers are DP ready and can be upgraded to full DP if so required. In the coming years, Roll Group intends to further expand its fleet and heavy lift equipment as well as strengthen its organisation with carefully selected partnerships in order to handle larger scale projects.’
Picture: Artist impression of future design of BigRoll Biscay.
