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.

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New for Leeway

 LeeWay Marine, the Dartmouth based survey vessel operator, is just about to take delivery of the latest addition to its fleet. The vessel arrived this morning April 15, as deck cargo on the Dutch multi-purpose and heavy lift ship Suomigracht. 

The Spliethoff's ship is equipped with one 120 tonne, one 90 tonne and one 55 tonne crane so should have no trouble with the lift.

Leeway renamed their newest craft Novus when they registered it in Halifax on April 6. Built in 2010 by Abeking and Rasmussen, Lemwerder, Germany,  it was originally named Natalia Bekker, then in 2016 it became Windea Five, the name currently showing on its bow and stern.

Novus is a SWATH type twin hulled  boat built for offshore wind farm crew transfer and supplies. Powered by two MTU engines it can do 18 knots, and can carry twelve passengers with a crew of three.

SWATH (small waterplane area twin hull) craft were designed for stability by Nova Scotia inventor Frederick G. Creed. One of the first craft to use the technology was named for him when it joined the Canadian Coast Guard. See previous posts here . That vessel was scrapped last year.

Leeway Marine specializes in marine data acquisition and craft such as the Novus are valuable for their stability even in rough seas, and at reasonable speed. 

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