Suomigracht

 As per today's previous post the Netherlands flag Suomigracht delivered a special cargo at Pier 9C today. The ship's owners, Spliethoffs have created a niche in world shipping by building a fleet of unique combination carriers. Their ships have heavy lift capability, but are also configured for awkwardly shaped cargoes such as yachts and other small craft, that may not be particularly heavy but require special handling.

Spliethoff's "S" type ships have side loading doors. Behind the doors are elevators leading to the holds, allowing the ships to load cargoes such as paper by forklift. The holds are also equipped with special ventilation for cargoes requiring humidity control.

The 18,321 gt and 23,600 dwt ship was built in 2004 by Szczecinska Novia in Poland. It has a capacity of 1134 TEU (all on deck) and three cranes, one each of 120, 90 and 55 tonnes capacity. Two of the cranes were rigged with spreaders to lift off the Novus this afternoon.

There are eleven similar ships in the "S" class but only three in the "S2L" class of which this is one. Suomigracht has also been retrofitted with an exhaust gas scrubber. It is contained in a large box shaped structure on the starboard side as high as the bridge wing, and has its own vertical exhaust pipe.

.