The ship, built in 2010, is Intermarine's fifth US flagged vessel and has the largest lifting capacity of any US flag vessel. Manned by officers and crew from the Seafarers International and American Maritime Officers unions, the Ocean Freedom is a 14,000 DWAT ship, 500 feet long, with a speed of 17.5 knots. For cargo handling, the ship boasts two 400 metric ton capacity cranes that can be combined for lifts up to 800 tons, as well as an additional 80 ton crane. Hatches and holds are up to 270 feet long, and the tween decks are adjustable.
'The Ocean Freedom is one of the most versatile cargo ships to ever fly the US flag,' stated Andre Grikitis, President of Intermarine. 'Its house forward design and heavy lift cranes allow it to carry modules and components with extreme dimensions without interfering with navigation sight lines or requiring shore side equipment. The Ocean Freedom is well suited to service projects that are becoming larger, more complex and are in locations farther away from the United States. The vessel is a tremendous addition to Intermarine's American flag service and the US Flag fleet.'
The Ocean Freedom will engage in worldwide trade. Her first voyage loaded oil refinery components and LNG drilling equipment at Industrial Terminals ' the US loadcenter for all Intermarine services ' and is in route to South America and Oceania. Intermarine's versatile, multi-purpose American flag fleet is comprised of vessels that are ideal for the carriage of project cargo's and particularly useful for military applications and cargoes. The vessels' self sustaining capabilities allow load and discharge operations in ports without modern handling equipment, or where that equipment may be damaged or destroyed. Routine commercial cargoes for the US flagged vessels consists of oil and gas equipment, mining equipment, conventional and wind power generation components, locomotives and rail cars, helicopters, tanks, military watercraft and yachts.
