After eighteen months of fabrication, outfitting and commissioning, Allseas’ new cargo barge Braveheart has departed China for Rotterdam. Braveheart reflects Allseas’ ethos of designing and optimising cutting-edge equipment in-house.
Engineered by Allseas teams, its design builds on a decade of experience transferring topsides and jackets to and from Pioneering Spirit, as well as load-ins and load-outs at fabrication and disposal yards across Europe.
Also read: Allseas’ 26,000-tonne barge is taking shape
Fitted to Pioneering Spirit’s bow slot
Purpose-built to fit precisely within Pioneering Spirit’s bow slot, Braveheart enables seamless transfer of offshore structures – from decommissioned platforms heading ashore to new-build topsides and offshore wind substations destined for installation.
Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with sister vessel Iron Lady, Braveheart introduces key upgrades, including a deeper draught, higher deck load capacity and a fully electric ballast control system designed for faster, safer and more efficient operations.
It is the ballast system that really defines the new cargo barge. With high-capacity electric pumps and 1.5-metre ballast lines, it can move the equivalent of around ten Olympic-sized swimming pools of water per hour.
Also read: Wärtsilä 31 engines for Allseas’ heavy transport vessel
Final completion in Rotterdam
Now en route to Rotterdam, the focus shifts to final completion and operational readiness, ahead of supporting Pioneering Spirit’s 2026 heavy-lift commitments in the North Sea, further strengthening Allseas’ long-term heavy lift capability and fleet versatility.
Picture by Allseas.
