The M/V Industrial Destiny, the second of six new heavy lift ships joining the Intermarine services fleet, was delivered in early November. Built by the ENVC shipyard in Viana do Castelo, Portugal, the first voyage of the vessel carried Power Generation and Oil & Gas heavy lift components from North Europe to the United States. The heaviest piece was a 237 MT ' 52 meters long cold box that was easily accommodated by the vessel, which boasts 2 x 250 ton combinable cranes. On this maiden voyage, calls were made in Rotterdam, New Castle, Bremen, and Bilbao for Port Manatee, Mobile, and Houston.
Designated by Intermarine as the D-Class vessels, the six ships are named Industrial Diamond, Industrial Destiny, Industrial Dawn, Industrial Dream, Industrial Dolphin, and Industrial Dart. The 8,000 dwt vessels feature dual 250 metric ton cranes that may be combined for 500-ton lifts. With an overall length of 120 meters and beam of 20 meters, the ships have the same hull design as the seven Century class vessels also built by the ENVC yard and operated by Intermarine services. The new ships incorporate enhanced cargo handling capability and increased lifting capacity. When this order is completed in 2008, Intermarine's service fleet will feature thirteen of the versatile ENVC mid-sized heavy lift ships.
'Our style of service is different from that of most breakbulk and heavy lift operators,' commented Roger Kavanagh, President of Intermarine, 'and we need vessels that provide more versatility than traditional designs.' The ENVC vessels feature box holds with adjustable tweens for ease and flexibility in stowage and cargo handling, superior lifting capacity for a vessel of its size, and an excellent cargo intake to draft ratio that allows the ships to more economically service remote project developments.
